Portland’s Democratic Mayor Begs Rioters to Stay Home: You’ve Become ‘A Prop for the Reelection Campaign of Donald Trump’

Democratic Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler warned rioters in his city on Friday that they had become “a prop” for President Donald Trump, and advised them to think twice about their actions.

“This is a political point, so it’s a little out afield,” Wheeler said during a virtual press conference. “Don’t think for a moment that if you are participating in this activity that you are not being a prop for the reelection campaign of Donald Trump, because you absolutely are.”

Protests in the city began after George Floyd’s May 25 death and have taken an increasingly violent turn in recent weeks. The president deployed federal law enforcement agents to the city in late June, but the chaos only escalated in July.

“We’re not leaving until they’ve secured their city,” Trump told reporters last week. “If they don’t secure their city soon, we have no choice, we’re going to have to go in and clean it out.”

The Trump campaign has also released advertisement pertaining to the violence. One ad that debuted on Facebook last month juxtaposed scenes of the chaos against an image of Trump with law enforcement officers, with text below the images suggesting a choice of “public safety vs. chaos & violence.”

Wheeler on Friday implored participants to consider that dynamic. “You are creating the B-roll film that will be used in ads nationally to help Donald Trump during this campaign. If you don’t want to be part of that, then don’t show up,” he said.

Watch above via the Portland mayor’s office.

[h/t Julio Rosas]