President Trump on Wednesday denied reports that he was rushed to a secure bunker underneath the White House Friday evening as tensions flared during a large protest nearby.
Mr. Trump said during an interview that he did visit the underground bunker Friday, but he insisted it was during the daytime for an inspection and for a small amount of time.
“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,” Mr. Trump said on Fox Radio.
“I’ve gone down two or three times, all for inspection,” Mr. Trump said later during the interview. “You go there. Someday you may need it. But you go there, and I went down, I looked at it, it was during the day.”
Mr. Trump’s explanation clashes with multiple news reports that emerged after a protest taking place outside the White House Friday evening grew tense and — according to outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press — he was rushed to the underground bunker by the Secret Service and held there for around an hour.
“It was a false report,” Mr. Trump reacted on Fox Radio.
Friday’s protest was sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white police officer after being arrested in Minneapolis on May 25.
Protests have continued to take place throughout the country in the days since, including near the White House where extra security measures have been taken since Friday. Authorities have since closed down Lafayette Square Park where the protest occurred and erected a temporary fence surrounding it. Military troops have been deployed as well.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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