NYT Does Deep Dive Into Trump’s Bible Photo Op

The New York Times reports:

After a day in which he berated “weak” governors and lectured them to “dominate” the demonstrators, the president emerged from the White House, followed by a phalanx of aides and Secret Service agents as he made his way to the church, where he posed stern-faced, holding up a Bible that his daughter pulled out of her $1,540 MaxMara bag.

The resulting photographs of Mr. Trump striding purposefully across the square satisfied his long-held desire to project strength, images that members of his re-election campaign team quickly began recirculating and pinning to their Twitter home pages once he was safely back in the fortified White House.

The scene of mayhem that preceded the walk — barely 1,000 feet from the symbol of American democracy — evoked images more commonly associated with authoritarian countries, but that did not bother the president, who has long flirted with overseas strongmen and has expressed envy of their ability to dominate.

The full piece is very worth your time.

Anatomy of an authoritarian disasterhttps://t.co/KpYfu5LVEd

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 3, 2020

What a stunning account by a amazing team of reporters @peterbakernyt @maggieNYT @katierogers @KannoYoungs @ktbenner https://t.co/DnojPqrQpJ

— Mark Mazzetti (@MarkMazzettiNYT) June 3, 2020

Agitated by protests over the weekend, President Trump was eager to take action.

Interviews with dozens of officials and protesters involved in the tense day, and an analysis of video footage, show how an idea for a photo op led to a clash. https://t.co/iXHsVsQlHy

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 3, 2020