This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
June 30, 2020, marked the second consecutive day that President Trump used his social media platforms to amplify racial divisions in the United States. The latest instance involved a video of a white couple brandishing firearms at peaceful black protesters in St. Louis.
The video, which quickly garnered over 10 million views online, showed a barefoot white man and woman, identified as Mark T. McCloskey and Patricia N. McCloskey, both personal injury lawyers, emerging from their marble mansion and threatening protesters who were marching down a private residential street.
The protesters were participating in a peaceful march to the home of Lyda Krewson, the Democratic mayor of St. Louis, to demand her resignation after she released the names and identifying details of individuals who supported defunding the police.
When reached at her home on Monday night, Patricia McCloskey declined to address the episode, stating, “I’m in something right now. Thank you though.”
President Trump's promotion of the St. Louis confrontation was the second time in two days that he used his social media platforms to exacerbate racial divisions. On Sunday, he retweeted a video of one of his supporters at a retirement community in Florida yelling “White power!” during an angry clash over the president and race among white residents in the community.
Mr. Trump's decision to promote the clip has been criticized, with some arguing that he has failed to distinguish between peaceful protesters and violent looters. In the past, he has positioned himself as a strong defender of Second Amendment rights.
