U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said the military could deploy troops to Minneapolis "very quickly" to respond to violent protests in the aftermath of a police killing of an unarmed black man.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests in several cities, some which have turned violent.
Minnesota's governor activated the state's national guard after four nights of confrontations in Minneapolis, its first full activation since World War Two.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the military had ordered some active-duty Army military police officers to be prepared to deploy if local authorities requested their help.
"We could have our military there very quickly," if their help was requested, Trump said on Saturday afternoon as he left the White House for Florida, where he will watch the expected SpaceX launch.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump Tweeted that demonstrators would have been "greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen." Trump also appeared to call his supporters to rally outside the executive mansion on Saturday evening, saying, "TONIGHT, I UNDERSTAND IS MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???" MAGA stands for Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again." A reporter asked Trump if he thought he was stoking more racial violence.
Trump said no.
"MAGA loves black people," he added.
Violence has escalated in the USA as protests over the death of George Floyd continue across the country.
On a fifth..
George Floyd Protests
Erupt Across the US Several U.S. cities endured a night of unrest
in response to the killing of..
