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US President Donald Trump has escalated attacks against local officials in Washington after protestors pushed the Seattle police department out of a city precinct and took claim of the area amid nationwide protests against police brutality. On Wednesday, the president posted a tweet attacking Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. He also appeared to threaten the use of federal force against the protestors. Trump said, “Radical Left Governor @JayInslee and the Mayor of Seattle are being taunted and played at a level that our great Country has never seen before. Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will. This is not a game”.

Trump added, “These ugly Anarchists must be stooped sic IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST”! His comments received swift backlash from local officials. He said the police were removed from the Capitol Hill area, now nicknamed the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ. The Seattle Times reported that the blocks encompassed within the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone have been bustling with film screenings without any police presence in recent nights. Protestors have also published a list of demands, which include the abolishment of the Seattle Police Department. It was a ban on the use of armed forces and an end to the school-to-prison pipeline, among others.

The mayor responded to Trump in a tweet and said, “Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker”. She was referring to reports that said the president was rushed to a secret bunker as demonstrations closed in on the White House. Point to be noted that Trump has pushed back on those claims and said instead he went down to take a look as part of inspection in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. He said, “They said it would be a good time to go down and take a look because maybe sometime you’re going to need it”. The governor also responded to Trump’s latest attacks on Twitter and wrote, “A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington State’s business”.