Obama criticizes Trump for using military to control ‘peaceful protestors’ as rioters kill citizens and burn cities

During the course of his speech, Obama said:

In this democracy, the commander in chief does not use the men and women of our military—who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation—as political props to deploy against peaceful protestors on our own soil.

Understand that political opponents aren’t ‘un-American’ just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn’t the 'enemy' but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.

None of this should be controversial. These shouldn’t be Republican principles or Democratic principles. They’re American principles. But at this moment, this president and those who enable him have shown they don’t believe in these things.

Obama has criticized Trump in the past, but these are some of the strongest words he used to date. Obama went on to say that Trump hasn’t grown into the job of the presidency because he can’t, among other things.

Sitting US President Trump has recently sent federal officers to cities like Portland and Chicago, partially in response to mayors ordering the local police force to stand down.

Obama has called the protests “peaceful” despite many violent incidents this year in cities all across the country. So far over 30 deaths have been confirmed, most of them African-Americans.

The city of Seattle was particularly hard hit by the protests, which turned a six-block area of the downtown core of the city into a self-styled “autonomous” zone.