Trump's Tweet About Jailing Protesters Who Vandalize Federal Buildings Resurfaces

A tweet by President Donald Trump in the summer of 2020 has resurfaced following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

On July 28, 2020, Trump took to Twitter to announce that he will issue the Statues & Monuments Act, which would punish protesters who vandalize federal buildings with 10 years in prison.

The tweet came a day after anti-racism protesters attempted to pull down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House. The former POTUS, who served from 1829 to 1837, was known to be a Tennessee slave owner.

“Anarchists, Agitators or Protestors who vandalize or damage our Federal Courthouse in Portland, or any Federal Buildings in any of our Cities or States, will be prosecuted under our recently re-enacted Statues & Monuments Act. MINIMUM TEN YEARS IN PRISON. Don’t do it!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

On Wednesday, American basketball player Stephen Curry retweeted Trump’s July tweet and captioned it: “There is literally a tweet for everything. Cat got your tongue today huh?”

A mob of MAGA supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol around 2:15 p.m. EST Wednesday and breached the building while Congress was in the process of certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

The protesters pushed through barricades, smashed windows and pounded on doors, forcing lawmakers and staffers inside the Congress to hunker down.

The insurrection led to the death of a female Air Force vet from California who was shot in the chest by Capitol Police during the chaos. She reportedly served 14 years in service. Footage of the incident showed her being shot and crumpling to the floor.

Vice President Mike Pence activated the National Guard to quell the violence at the Capitol after President Trump rebuffed requests to mobilize troops. It is unclear why the president did not give the order, a source familiar with the conversations told The New York Times.

As Pence's approval, the Army dispatched 1,100 National Guard troops while Virginia’s governor dispatched the state’s guard and 200 state troopers to help control the protests.

Many lawmakers, including Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, have condemned the violence caused by the rioters and have accused Trump of inciting the protest.

“What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the president of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy,” Romney said.