Trump Bunker and the Bible Photo

2020

Date: 1 June 2020 · Place: White House Underground PEOC · St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington D.C. · Figures: Donald Trump, U.S. President · Mark Esper, Defense Secretary · Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs Chairman · William Barr, Attorney General · Tags: George Floyd Protests, Photo Op, Tear Gas 01. The Bunker On the evening of 29 May 2020, with protests over the murder of George Floyd reaching the White House perimeter, Secret Service moves Donald Trump to the underground Presidential Emergency Operations Center for roughly an hour. The New York Times reports it on 31 May. Trump denies it was for safety, claims he went for an inspection. By morning the hashtag #BunkerBoy is trending. The denial becomes the meme. 02. The Bible Two days later, on 1 June 2020, federal officers clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square with tear gas and rubber bullets. Trump walks across the cleared square with Esper, Milley, and Barr. He stops in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, holds up a Bible upside-down, and poses for cameras. He does not enter the church or read from the book. The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, denounces the photo within hours. General Milley publicly apologizes eleven days later for appearing in uniform. The Bible photo becomes the single defining image of the administration's response to the protests. Sources • Katie Rogers, 'Protesters dispersed with tear gas so Trump could pose at church,' New York Times, 1 June 2020 • Maggie Haberman, 'Trump moved to underground bunker as protests raged,' New York Times, 31 May 2020 • Mark Milley, address to National Defense University commencement, 11 June 2020