“I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop,” Sasse said in a statement that made no explicit mention of Trump but said that all public servants “should be lowering the temperature.”
On Monday night, Trump walked from the White House across Lafayette Square to St. John’s Church, where he posed for pictures holding up a Bible. Before his trek, federal authorities used rubber bullets, flash bangs and smoke canisters to clear protesters gathered near the park.
By Tuesday morning, the White House had produced a 30-second campaign-style video about the episode, set to triumphant music.
Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the only black Republican in the Senate, told Politico that he did not think Trump’s visit to St. John’s — a frequent place of worship for some past presidents — was helpful.
“Obviously, if your question is, should you use tear gas to clear a path so the president can go have a photo op, the answer is no,” Scott said.
Michael Reagan, son of the late former president Ronald Reagan, also weighed in, tweeting that if his father had walked across the street to St. John’s, “he would have been walking across to pray, not for a photo op.”
“Trump could learn some lessons,” Reagan wrote, also noting that his tweet “may piss off some Trump supporters.”
Democrats were far more united in their assessments, with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) comparing Trump’s actions to that of a dictator.
“After the president’s reality show ended last night, while the nation nervously watched the chaos that engulfs us, President Trump probably laid in bed pleased with himself for descending another rung on the dictatorial ladder,” Schumer said during remarks on the Senate floor.
He chided his Republican colleagues for largely remaining silent about the actions of “a vindictive president who demands they never criticize.”
Senate Democrats introduced a resolution condemning Trump “for ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets against the Americans who were peaceably protesting in Lafayette Square.” Without GOP support, it was destined not to go anywhere.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did not mention the Monday night episode during remarks on the chamber’s floor Tuesday, while other Republicans offered muted assessments.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the only GOP senator who voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial, declined to comment about the president’s walk across the park to the church.
“This is a challenging time for our country, and I’m really not going to be commenting on the daily developments that are coming from the White House or elsewhere,” he told reporters.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Republican leader, reiterated to reporters that he would like to see Trump adopt a softer tone more broadly and said that he is opposed to using the military to contain protesters on U.S. streets, as Trump has advocated.
“I would prefer that these things be handled by the state and local authorities,” Thune said. “You want to de-escalate, rather than escalate.”
Asked if Trump is projecting calm, Thune said the president “has his moments.”
“But, you know, I mean, as you know, it lasts generally as long as the next tweet,” he added.
Thune declined to say whether he considered Trump’s walk across Lafayette Square a good idea.
“A lot of this is going to be in the eye of the beholder,” he said.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who previously directed a youth ministry, said he didn’t object to Trump’s trip to the church — but questioned the timing of the visit.
“If he had gone out there yesterday morning, rather than right before curfew, that would have been a nonissue,” Lankford said.
But Lankford said making the trip right after a Rose Garden statement on the need to crack down on violent protesters “distracted from the message he had just given.”
“The whole appearance at that time, at that moment — right before curfew, everyone knew there were going to be protesters in that area — I thought was the wrong timing for that message,” Lankford said.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) shared an array of views Tuesday, including his dismay at a report on the Fox News show hosted by Tucker Carson about beatings endured by citizens at the hands of violent protesters.
Asked for his opinion on Trump’s church visit, Johnson had less to offer.
“I haven’t seen it,” he said.
