President Donald Trump took note of the chaotic Friday protest in downtown Eugene, threatening demonstrators in the Oregon city and those in other “Democrat cities” with brutal consequences for attacking federal property.
“Last night in Eugene, Oregon, these criminals broke into a Federal Building, and did great damage, also scaring and harassing the hardworking employees,” Trump wrote on the social-media site Truth Social. “Local Police did nothing in order to stop it. We will not let that happen anymore!”
Eugene police, in fact, responded to the scene Friday and declared a riot. Officers formed a phalanx between protesters and the Federal Building, Eugene police Chief Chris Skinner said in a Facebook video. He called their efforts “successful.”
In his Saturday post, Trump referred to people who are protesting the federal government’s immigration crackdown as “highly paid Lunatics, Agitators and Insurrectionists.”
Large demonstrations have broken out across the country after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed two people in separate incidents in Minneapolis in January.
On Friday, thousands took to the streets in all 50 states for a national strike “to stop ICE’s reign of terror,” as organizers put it. In Portland, many businesses closed down to support the action.
Trump insisted he would not bow to protesters and that those who became violent or otherwise abusive would pay a heavy price.
“There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles, or at our Patriot Warriors,” he wrote. “If there is, those people will suffer an equal, or more, consequence.”
He added that, “if necessary,” the military would be called out to protect federal property, before punctuating the Truth Social post with his usual closer, “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
