President Donald Trump has weighed in on the ongoing controversy in St. Louis Park, where the City Council voted unanimously to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings.
“Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you! @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2019
The issue was brought to the president’s attention after Fox & Friends ran a number of segments highlighting the topic. On Tuesday, the morning news show played clips of Monday night’s City Council meeting, which attracted nearly 100 protesters in support of the pledge.
“Well, the folks came out because they said it only takes 15 seconds and it means a lot to us. This is America,” host Pete Hegseth, a Minnesota native, said on Tuesday’s show.
Imagine getting this worked up over the Pledge of Allegiance pic.twitter.com/wvPrMSQN60
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 9, 2019
Protesters lined the streets Monday night before the City Council meeting, waving American flags and reciting the pledge.
Protesters outside of St. Louis Park City Hall saying the Pledge of Allegiance. They want the city council to bring it back to council meetings. Last month the council voted to stop saying it at their meetings. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/ubDKOQgUy9
— John Lauritsen (@JDLauritsen) July 8, 2019
They later packed the council chambers, but weren’t officially allowed to offer any public comment, as The Minnesota Sun reported. They did, however, call on some council members to resign, The Star Tribune reports.
Packed house inside St. Louis Park City Council chambers. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/LE6PEzthpT
— John Lauritsen (@JDLauritsen) July 8, 2019
Some local media outlets, like MPR News and City Pages, pushed back on the president’s characterization of the matter.
“The St. Louis Park City Council did not vote to take away anyone’s right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members voted late last month to stop reciting the pledge at the start of its biweekly meetings,” said MPR News.
The St. Louis Park City Council did not vote to take away anyone's right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members voted late last month to stop reciting the pledge at the start of its biweekly meetings https://t.co/A8cO5ur638 https://t.co/zcrNiion17
— MPR News (@MPRnews) July 9, 2019
The issue wasn’t resolved Monday night as the City Council didn’t take a vote on restoring the pledge. But two proposals were introduced, one that would reverse the decision and another that would open up the discussion to the community.
St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano said he was out of town during the initial June 17 vote, so while he “was not a fan of the proposal,” he didn’t “get a chance to vote on this.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0. Background Photo “St. Louis Park Protest” by John Lauritsen.
[…] President Donald Trump brought the issue to national attention in a Tuesday morning tweet, as The Minnesota Sun reported. […]
[…] President Donald Trump brought the issue to national attention in a Tuesday morning tweet, as The Minnesota Sun reported. […]