One consistent thread through many of the post-Donald Trump presidency books is that he was so furious about the news he was rushed to an underground bunker during the Black Lives Matter protests that he spent the remainder of the summer desperately searching for something to make him look tough again.
Mary Trump detailed extensively in her book that the psychology in the Trump family surrounded the necessity of men looking strong. Weakness was the worst possible sin in the eyes of Fred Trump Sr.
In Defense Sec. Mark Esper's book A Sacred Oath, the summer of 2020 resulted in many demands from the president to call in soldiers to Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland and other places.
During one such night, Esper describes being dead asleep when Trump called on the secure line and ordered soldiers be sent into D.C. because statues were being toppled. To Trump, it seemed like an emergency.
“Statues are being torn down in D.C. They’re going after Jefferson and Washington next. You need to get the Guard in there immediately," he said to Esper over the phone.
A groggy secretary agreed, calling Gen. Mark Milley. The two men turned on their televisions and couldn't find the story. Mark Meadows got called too.
Esper got online and found the story, "several people toppled a statue of Confederate general Albert Pike, which had been standing in Judiciary Square since 1901. I never heard of Pike and never even knew there was a statue to a Confederate general in D.C." He noted that many people in the city had been begging to have the statue taken down since 1992.
Milley reported back to them that the crowd was fewer than one hundred people, only a dozen or so were actually causing trouble and they left once the statue was toppled. Police hadn't even asked for help, they were handling it and there was no concern.
The following day Trump tweeted: “The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!”
Raw Story is reporting the details about the new book, which can be read here.
NOW WATCH: Biden addresses inflation as enraged Mark Meadows admits his plan will 'help the American people'