Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., made a call for military action against the violent riots and it drew President Donald Trump's seal of approval.
"If local law enforcement is overwhelmed, if local politicians will not do their most basic job to protect our citizens, let's see how these anarchists respond when the 101st Airborne is on the other side of the street," Cotton told Fox News' "Fox & Friends."
"What the president can do is say that justice will be done in accordance with law for George Floyd and we will always respect the right of peaceful protest as many of these cities saw in the daytime, but the rioting, the anarchy and the looting ends tonight."
Cotton followed up his comments with a tweet:
"Anarchy, rioting, and looting needs to end tonight. If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let's see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they're facing off with the 101st Airborne Division. We need to have zero tolerance for this destruction."
To which Trump responded:
"100% Correct. Thank you Tom!"
Cotton mentioned Trump invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to "restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States" when "domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order."
But a senior defense official said Saturday, "no one in the department is talking about invoking the Insurrection Act," according to The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.