next to the
White House on May 30 Protesters in
Washington, D.C. gathered around the
White House the evening of May 29, which went under lockdown. President Trump was escorted to hide in an underground bunker, where he stayed for almost an hour. Outside, the historic
St. John's Church was set on fire. Trump reacted by threatening protesters with "the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons" if they crossed the White House fence. Rubber bullets, pepper spray, smoke canisters, and stun grenades were used on the protesters. On May 30 and 31 there was looting and vandalism with several monuments being defaced. On June 1,
tear gas and rubber bullets were used to forcefully clear protesters from Lafayette Square so that President Trump could have his picture taken at St. John's, which had survived the fire. Police said the protesters were throwing bricks and other projectiles, although journalists at the scene said the protesters were peaceful. In addition,
millions fell for a hoax claiming that communication channels had been severed in the area. By June 3 thousands of National Guard troops from ten states, as well as law enforcement personnel from a dozen federal agencies, were ordered to the city and deployed on the streets. On June 7, U.S. Senator
Mitt Romney (
R-
UT) joined the protests. On June 22, a crowd of rioters unsuccessfully attempted to topple
Clark Mills' 1852 bronze
equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in
Lafayette Square in
President's Park, directly north of the
White House. A few days later, the
United States Department of Justice charged four men with destruction of federal property for allegedly trying to bring down the statue. The Justice Department alleged that a video showed one of the men breaking off and destroying the wheels of the cannons located at the base of the statue as well as pulling on ropes trying to bring down the statue. == Florida ==