Donald Trump Jr is calling for statues that have been torn down by Black Lives Matter protestors to be replaced with monuments dedicated to his father, in a jab at left-wing Americans.
Trump Jr sent out a tweet on Wednesday suggesting "The nonsense would stop instantly" if any statue torn down during Black Lives Matter protests were to be replaced with a “more sturdy” statue of US President Donald Trump.
The tweet could imply left-wing Americans would rather leave Confederate statues up than have President Trump immortalised in monuments across the country.
Since the killing of US man George Floyd by a police officer, Black Lives Matter protests have occurred around the world.
The movement has sparked controversy surrounding statues of historical figures with racist, Confederate pasts, leading protesters to vandalise and tear down monuments across the US. Some statues have been taken down by local authorities.
Trump Jr’s tweet comes after police intercepted protesters attempting to take down a statue of seventh US President Andrew Jackson in Washington DC.
The statue removals haven’t gone down well with the Trump family. Trump Jr’s tweet follows President Trump on Tuesday, authorising the federal government to arrest anyone caught vandalising statues.
"I have authorised the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalises or destroys any monument, statue or other such federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent…" The President tweeted.
President Trump told 'Fox & Friends' he didn't like the move to take down statues at all and blasted states allowing removals as 'weak.'
"I’ve stopped federal, but the states are - a lot of states are weak. A lot of people are weak and they're allowing it to happen," he said.
In a video posted to Twitter President Trump said "I really don’t think frankly they know who they're taking down, I think they just want to do things for bad purposes."
