Trump vows to protect monuments

WASHINGTON—Demonstrators climbed on top of the statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Square across from the White House on Monday night and unsuccessfully tried to pull it off its pedestal. Police used pepper spray to disperse the protesters. Activists have criticized Jackson’s brutal tactics against Native Americans during his presidency in the early 1800s.

How did the president respond? In a Monday night tweet, President Donald Trump threatened jail time under the Veterans’ Memorial Preservation Act for the “disgraceful vandalism.” On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he plans to issue an executive order to protect monuments across the country from protesters.

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