Trump Threatens Military Deployment To Halt US Protests

US President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military if state governors do not stop protests over police brutality, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Speaking in the White House's Rose Garden, Mr Trump said if governors across the United States do not deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to "dominate the streets", then the American military would step in to "quickly solve the problem for them".

"We have the greatest country in the world," he said.

"We’re going to keep it safe."

Minutes before Mr Trump began speaking, police and National Guard soldiers began forcing back hundreds of peaceful protesters who had gathered across the street from the White House.

As Mr Trump spoke, tear gas canisters could be heard exploding.

Six days of unrest have followed the death of Mr Floyd last week.

Video filmed prior to his death shows Mr Floyd being pinned to the pavement by a white police officer, who put his knee on the handcuffed black man’s neck. 

The police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Speaking out against Mr Floyd's death on Twitter, Kaleth Wright, a high-ranking black officer in the US Air Force, said he was "outraged at watching another Black man die on television before our very eyes".

Kaleth Wright is the US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant and advises senior military officials in Washington.

There are now curfews imposed in New York City and Los Angeles due to the protests which have been compared to historic demonstrations of the civil rights and Vietnam War eras.

Cover image: Donald Trump  (Picture: PA).