Protests are expected to continue Monday after a weekend in which the tide continued turning away from Donald Trump’s attempts to promote division and violence, while a viewing is being held in Houston ahead of the third memorial service for George Floyd, to be held Tuesday. Also Monday, former officer Derek Chauvin will be appearing in court. Through the weekend, protests continued to grow in many places, while the police response became less vicious, resulting in fewer conflicts and less violence.
One such protest included Republican Sen. Mitt Romney marching with hundreds of evangelical Christians and saying he was seeking “a way to end violence and brutality, and to make sure that people understand that Black lives matter.” Trump, of course, couldn't resist an angry tweet. Several Democrats, including widely cited vice presidential prospects Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have joined protesters, but Romney is the first Senate Republican known to have done so.
Romney’s embrace of protest wasn't the only sign this weekend of trouble for Trump among elite Republicans. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he will vote for Joe Biden, while former President George W. Bush said he wouldn’t vote for Trump, though he didn’t go so far as to say he’d vote for Biden. If Trump gives a speech on race, as he is reportedly considering, how many more will join them?
It’s unlikely that anyone in Trump’s base will be moved by Bush or Powell—even though many of these same people had a fervent devotion for Bush 15 years ago—but their defections may continue to shift media coverage if nothing else.
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