President Trump told governors Monday that they must “dominate” rioters in their states or “you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”
“You have to dominate, if you don’t dominate you’re wasting your time,” Mr. Trump told the governors in a conference call, a recording of which was obtained by CBS News. “They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate.”
He told governors, “You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again.”
The president said he plans to “pull in thousands of people [forces]” to quell demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
“Washington was under very good control, but we’re going to have it under much more control,” Mr. Trump said.
Demonstrators lit fires to a church and office buildings near the White House on Sunday night in clashes with police and Secret Service.
The president also referred on the call to Attorney General William P. Barr and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“We will activate Bill Barr and activate him very strongly,” Mr. Trump said.
“Most of you are weak,” the president told the governors, urging them to get tougher with violent demonstrators.
