On May 29, as protesters gathered in Lafayette Square for a second night following the police murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump retreated to an underground bunker beneath the White House. But after the story of Trump spending the night cowering in the basement reached the public a few days later, Trump became livid. By the next week, Trump had a response. Speaking to right-wing radio host Brian Kilmeade, Trump declared that his safety was never an issue. Instead, he said that the Secret Service thought that maybe this would be a nice time to give the facility “an inspection” and that he was only there for “a tiny short time.” Then Trump and Attorney General William Barr cemented Trump’s tough guy status by ordering an attack on peaceful protesters so Trump could walk a couple of hundred yards and wave a Bible.
But in his own interview on Monday evening, Barr flatly contradicted the idea that Trump’s underground visit had been unrelated to fear of protesters. “Things were so bad that the Secret Service recommended the president go down to the bunker,” Mr. Barr told Fox News. “We can’t have that in our country.”
As The New York Times reports, not only did Trump report that he had gone down for just a momentary inspection, he claimed that he hadn’t done so under any pressure. Trump stated that he “went down during the day” at a time when there was “no problem” with the protests.
That not only contrasts with Barr saying that Trump was moved to the basement because things were “so bad,” it also contradicts the original Washington Post story. That story had Trump being hustled into the bunker after four protesters pushed past the fencing outside the White House and entered the ground before being arrested. “Officials familiar with the incident,” reported the Post, “told colleagues that the president, the first lady and their son Barron were rushed to the bunker because of the episode, according to two people familiar with their accounts.”
That’s not an inspection. That version of events meshes with Barr’s Monday statement—but illustrates just what an obvious lie Trump’s “inspection” story always was.
Since that night, and following the Battle of the Bully assault that Trump and Barr waged in order to stage a photo op, a second fence was built around the White House. And then barriers were placed outside that fence. And then another fence was built outside that second fence. Trump now lives at the center of a triple line of fences, each of them separated by half a block or more of space, multiple vehicle barriers, short fences, and checkpoints. In essence, the entire White House has been moved into a bunker.
America didn’t need Barr to show that Trump’s inspection story was a lie—that was always obvious. But Barr’s statement underlines how concerned Trump is about appearing to be tough, even as he demonstrates unmatched weakness. That’s what the rubber bullets, tear gas, and explosive charges lobbed at a peaceful gathering were all about. That’s why Trump keeps bringing in more and more paramilitary forces, and actual military forces, to surround the White House.
Trump has turned Washington, D.C. into a monument to his own fear. His hiding in the bunker and attacking protesters will be the most iconic image of his entire stay in Washington. But hopefully he won’t feel compelled to order more senseless violence just to prove how “tough” he is.