Trump Calls to "Send National Guard" Amid New York Looting... New York Mayor Says "No"

Washington DC Praised for Safety While Urging Troop Deployment to New York
New York Governor "Troops Needed" vs. New York Mayor "Absolutely Not" Conflict
New York Police Strengthen Curfew Enforcement Compared to Previous Day
Thousands of Peaceful Protesters Still Marching in Manhattan

New York police are guarding in front of a store in Lower Manhattan during the curfew enforcement.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump has targeted New York City following Washington DC. He has called for the deployment of the National Guard. Despite a curfew, protests continued to march in New York City, prompting the city to impose a stricter curfew.

On June 2 (local time), President Trump tweeted, "Yesterday was a very bad day for the Cuomo brothers. New York lost to looters, radical leftists, and mobs. The governor rejected my offer to provide the military."

He then retweeted reports about the looting at the Macy's department store in Manhattan and urged, "The military must be deployed. Do not repeat the deadly mistakes and terror that occurred at the nursing home." He also argued that New York City's curfew should be moved up from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m., calling for the military to be deployed with the hashtag #SAVENYC.

President Trump mentioned New York City because protests have not diminished despite the curfew. Large-scale looting protests that took place the day before in Midtown Manhattan and the Bronx have made New York a focal point of the recent riots and looting, following Washington DC. Scenes of Macy's and various stores being looted have raised red flags about New York City's safety. CNN reported that thousands of protesters continued to march despite the expanded curfew.

New York City initially imposed a nighttime curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. the previous night, but as protests intensified, the curfew was extended from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for a week starting June 2. This is the first nighttime curfew in New York City in 77 years since the large-scale riots in Harlem in August 1943 following a shooting incident involving a white police officer and a Black soldier. CNN reported that this is the strongest restriction in over 70 years since then-Mayor Fiorello La Guardia imposed a 10:30 p.m. curfew.

A New York police officer on a bicycle is enforcing the curfew. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On Twitter, President Trump referred to the previous day's situation in Washington DC and ordered strong measures for New York. He tweeted, "DC had no problems last night. Many arrests were made. Everything went well. Strong force. (Thank you, President Trump)" and claimed, "Yesterday, Washington DC was the safest place on Earth." This referred to the deployment of the military to suppress riots and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters near the White House during his photo shoot in front of his church. The previous day in Washington DC, military helicopters flew over protesters, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was seen visiting the protest site.

President Trump's remarks caused discord in New York State. The governor and mayor expressed strong dissatisfaction with each other. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a press conference, "Last night, the New York Police and the mayor did not do their job. I believe that." He also warned that he could ignore Mayor Bill de Blasio and send the military to the city.

Mayor de Blasio opposed this, stating that military deployment in New York City is not possible. He emphasized, "We do not need to bring the military into New York City. The entry of armed external forces into our community is a dangerous scenario in the current situation." He also stressed that New York City has 36,000 police officers to maintain safety. While the National Guard has been deployed in Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, New York is maintaining order with the police alone.

On this day, the New York Police showed empathy with protesters by kneeling before peaceful demonstrators, but after the curfew was enforced, they actively blocked passage, unlike the previous day. However, even after 10 p.m., the police have not actively blocked the peaceful march of thousands of protesters.

Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, both Democrats, have often had disagreements and showed conflicts even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CBS also expressed concern that Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio are clashing under pressure from President Trump.