Donald Trump has been under fire for not showing any compassion or understanding towards the many Americans protesting the police-custody restraint death of George Floyd. Singer Demi Lovato is pleading with the 73-year-old president to step up to the plate and help bring some calming leadership to a nation in crisis. Demi, 27, directly addressed him in a new message and asked Trump to do his job in leading the country with constructive action, rather than escalating social unrest between law enforcement and protesters.
Demi wrote in a June 2 Instagram story, “Donald Trump — Be the f**king leader we need you to be. I’m actually begging you because we’re stuck with you until November, then you will have to pay for your silence, lack of leadership & action.” Trump had waited until June 1 to give a live address about clashes between police and those peacefully protesting Floyd’s May 25 death, which escalated over the weekend in numerous cities across the country.
Rather than show understanding or provide pleas for calm during the nationwide crisis, Trump did the opposite. He threatened military action on U.S. citizens following the looting that had erupted in numerous cities after peaceful protests calling for racial justice. Trump couldn’t acknowledge that so many Americans were incredibly upset after seeing the video that showed Floyd, 46, handcuffed and face down on the ground while white Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, kneeled on his neck.
Floyd repeatedly told the officer he couldn’t breathe, before losing consciousness and later dying. Chauvin was arrested and charged on May 29 with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death. Ever since the incident, protests have grown louder and larger about the racial divide in America and police brutality against black citizens.
While Trump was busy rage tweeting, “LAW AND ORDER” on June 1, his predecessor President Barack Obama, 58, kept sharing positive and thoughtful messages of hope to his Twitter account in stark contrast. Our 44th president wrote, “I know the past few months have been hard and dispiriting. But watching the heightened activism of young people makes me hopeful. And if we can keep channeling our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, this can be the moment when real change starts.” In other words, being a real leader by listening to the pain of so many Americans and providing empathy and wisdom.