Widespread reports that Trump went into hiding in the White House bunker when protests erupted on Pennsylvania Avenue are what prompted him to stage the awkward photo-op that required the removal of protester by force outside St. John's Church.
Trump has denied that and said he was just "inspecting" the bunker, not sheltering for safety, and while that doesn't pass the laugh test -- we know it's not true.
According to arrest records and sources close to the situation, Trump was rushed into the bunker in response to a specific incident.
The security move came after multiple people crossed over fences that had been erected to create a larger barrier around the White House complex around 7 p.m.
Secret Service officers detained at least four protesters, who were charged with unlawful entry at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, according to arrest records. The incident took place near the border between the White House lawn and Treasury Department, about 350 feet from the East Wing, and close to a Treasury fence line that has been at the center of past security failures.
The breach occurred around the time that the Secret Service alert level on the White House complex was elevated from “yellow” to “red,” according to a law enforcement official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal safety maneuvers.
You know, it's actually reasonable to sequester the "president" in a secure location when a security perimeter is breached and the White House could have just honestly said that. The story would have died in an instant if they told the truth.
But they didn't say that because Trump is terrified of looking weak and afraid even if he is weak and afraid. But countering reports that he was 'hiding in a bunker' by using overwhelming force to clear a protest and walk across the street while flanked by a small army also made him look weak and afraid. Reports that he was afraid also prompted his threat to use the military against American citizens because that's what strong men -- or "Strongmen" -- would do, right? And that made him look weaker still.
Needless to say, someone as afraid of everything as Trump is -- someone who is so easily molded and manipulated by their cascading fears -- never had any business being president.
We just had a weeklong news cycle and constitutional crisis based on Trump's fears.