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Trump was rushed into White House bunker with Melania and Barron, is lying about 'inspection' visit: Report

The news comes a day after Trump said he had gone into the bunker for an 'inspection' but during daytime "when there was no problem"
UPDATED JUN 4, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

President Donald Trump, wife Melania, and their son Barron were reportedly rushed into the White House bunker on Friday, May 29, soon after George Floyd protesters breached one of the barricades outside the White House complex. The news comes a day after Trump claimed that he had gone into the bunker for an "inspection" and during daytime.

The first family, however, on Friday, was taken to the underground bunker, known as the  Presidential Emergency Operations Center, at around 7 pm after multiple protesters crossed over fences that had been placed to form a barrier around the White House and Treasury Building, the Washington Post reported. Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House on Friday in the wake of Floyd's death in police custody, with some tugging at police barricades. The incident occurred shortly after President Trump's inflammatory tweets, where he called the rioters in Minneapolis protests "thugs" and tweeted "when looting starts, shooting starts."

The Republican, however, appeared enraged after reports of him seeking refuge in the White House bunker made headlines. He instead, claimed that he went to the bunker during the day of the protest for "a short inspection." "It was a false report. I wasn’t down [in the bunker]," on Friday evening, Trump said while talking to Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade on his show. "I went down during the day and I was there for a tiny, little short period of time and it was much more for an inspection, there was no problem during the day."

U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump walk across the South Lawn before leaving the White House on board Marine One November 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

"They told me to go down and ‘take a look’ just to check it out,” Trump said. “I can’t tell you who went with me but a whole group of people went with me, as an inspecting factor, I was back up, and Brian it was during the day, it wasn’t during the night,” Trump told Kilmeade. “I’ve gone down two or three times, all for inspection,” he said.
 
At least four people were arrested on Friday after the breach near a Treasury Department fence line about 350 feet from the West Wing. One of the protesters told the Post that they did not even realize that they had triggered a "red" security alert among the Secret Service.

"I didn't even realize what I did was illegal," one protester told the outlet on conditions of anonymity. "I stepped over a barricade. I never got onto the Treasury grounds or White House grounds."

The barricade breach reportedly raised the level of alert at the White House from "yellow" to "red," resulting in the first family to be escorted to the bunker by the Secret Service, people familiar with the incident told the newspaper.

The nationwide protests came as four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's brutal death were fired on May 26 after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The footage showed Floyd pleading with officers as one of them, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck while the 46-year-old told them to let him stand because he could not breathe. The clip showed Floyd pleading with the officer to allow him to breathe and a few minutes later he became unconscious. Floyd's death has sparked massive protests and unrest in Minneapolis and across the country. Chauvin, 44, was arrested last week on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter.

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