Trump falsely claims credit for ending Seattle protests, though local authorities managed resolution without federal troops.
SEATTLE — President Donald Trump is taking false credit for ending 2020 Seattle protests after weeks of threatening escalation in the Pacific Northwest.
Speaking Tuesday in front of top U.S. generals, Trump suggested American cities could serve as “training grounds for our military” and pointed to Seattle as an example.
“You look at some of the things where they took over parts of Seattle … I sent in the troops, and they were gone as soon as I sent them in,” Trump said.
The remarks appeared to reference the 2020 Capitol Hill protest zone, created after Seattle police abandoned their East Precinct during mass demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd. No federal troops were deployed during the course of that conflict.
Protesters left July 1, 2020, after Seattle police returned to the precinct and issued dispersal orders, more than three weeks after Trump threatened intervention on social media.
The protest zone saw multiple violent crimes, including shootings that left two teenagers dead.
Then-Governor Jay Inslee activated the Washington National Guard in 2020, according to a spokesperson with the agency. However, at no point were the troops federalized; they were used in collaboration with Inslee, the mayor of Seattle, and the Seattle Police Department.
"The situation is totally different from the one in California," the spokesperson added,...
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