Esper book reveals Trump asked about shooting George Floyd protesters
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper's memoir revealed that during a June 1, 2020 meeting about George Floyd protests, Trump asked: "Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?" Esper told 60 Minutes that Trump was "ranting," using "foul language," calling protesters "fucking losers." Trump suggested deploying 10,000 active-duty troops "with weapons and bayonets" to confront peaceful protesters exercising First Amendment rights. Esper said he and General Mark Milley were "taken aback." Esper compared the suggestion to authoritarian regimes: "those are banana republics, right? Or authoritarian regimes. We all remember Tiananmen Square." Trump denied the allegation, calling it "a complete lie." The revelation demonstrated Trump's willingness to use military force against American citizens engaged in constitutionally protected protest.
“Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?” — June 1, 2020 White House meeting about George Floyd protests, as revealed in Esper memoir May 2022 Quote verified against source
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryHistorical Context and Tactical Analysis The revelation in Secretary Mark Esper's memoir that Donald Trump suggested shooting George Floyd protesters in the legs represents a critical escalation in the executive's willingness to use lethal force against American citizens. This was not an isolated outburst but the private corollary to a public-facing playbook of escalating state violence. Just days prior, Trump had signaled this intent via social media, using the segregationist-linked phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" (2020-05-29). This rhetoric transitioned from digital threats to a formal policy discussion in the Oval Office, where Trump proposed deploying 10,000 active-duty troops "with weapons and bayonets" to suppress First Amendment activities. This event follows a career-long pattern of fetishizing violence as a tool of political control. Institutional Connections and Pattern Recognition The "shoot them in the legs" proposal serves as the connective tissue between the violent clearing of Lafayette Square (2020-06-01-orders-peaceful-protesters-tear-gassed) and the eventual termination of Secretary Esper (2020-11-09). Esper's refusal to invoke the Insurrection Act and his resistance to shooting civilians created a fundamental rift, leading Trump to replace him with perceived loyalists who might be more compliant during a contested transition of power. This pattern of seeking a "politicized military" is further evidenced by General Mark Milley's fears of a "Reichstag moment" (2021-07-15). Democratic Implications and Rule of Law The implications for democratic norms are profound, specifically regarding the "posse comitatus" principle--the traditional prohibition against using the military for domestic law enforcement. By suggesting that troops shoot protesters, Trump attempted to collapse the distinction between foreign combatants and domestic citizens exercising constitutional rights. This event highlights a "banana republic" trajectory, as noted by Esper, where the military is viewed not as a neutral defender of the Constitution, but as a personal praetorian guard.