A night that saw protesters in front of the White House gassed by police, there could be no more symbolic moment than when the lights were turned off outside the historic mansion. Some reporters have said that the lights are turned off around 11pm every night. But on Sunday evening, with fires burning all around the nation’s capitol, the darkening of the White House was the perfect metaphor for the latest crisis. In Donald Trump’s temporary living quarters, it appears no one is home, a point many would say is a recurring theme.
On Friday night, as protests raged outside the gates, Trump was moved to an underground bunker for a time, the same one used by Dick Cheney after 9/11. The New York Times writes:
“While in the end officials said they were never really in danger, Mr. Trump and his family have been rattled by protests near the Executive Mansion that turned violent for a third night on Sunday.
“After days in which the empathy he expressed for George Floyd, the man killed, was overshadowed by his combative threats to ramp up violence against looters and rioters, Mr. Trump spent Sunday out of sight, even as some of his campaign advisers were recommending that he deliver a nationally televised address before another night of violence. The building was even emptier than usual as some White House officials planning to work were told not to come in case of renewed unrest.“