- President Donald Trump wants to find and prosecute whoever leaked that he hid in a bunker during protests in Washington, DC, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
- Trump, his wife Melania, and their son Barron were rushed to secure bunker on May 29 amid unruly protests near the White House, according to reports. Trump would later argue that he was inspecting the bunker, not hiding in it.
- The president's attorney general contradicted his version of events later, revealing that Trump was taken there because "things were so bad" outside.
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President Trump told officials that he wants to find and prosecute the person who leaked that he was hiding in a bunker on May 29 during recent protests in the nation's capital, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with his comments.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As numerous protesters demonstrated outside the White House late last month, Trump, as well as first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron, were rushed to an underground bunker, where they remained for about an hour, according to multiple reports.
The Washington Post reported that Trump and his family were taken there after several protesters breached the barricades near the White House, raising the alert status at the White House from "yellow" to "red." Officials told The New York Times that while no one thought the president was in real danger, indicating that he was taken to the bunker as a precaution.
On June 1, just days after the bunker incident reportedly occurred, Trump addressed the nation, threatening to send the military into American cities to tackle the unrest. He then walked through an area forcibly cleared of protesters to take photos at a church holding a Bible.
CNN reported the following day that Trump went to the church for the photo op because he was angry about being mocked for hiding in a bunker and wanted to be seen outside the White House.
On June 3, Trump publicly denied that he had hidden in a bunker, telling Fox News that it was "false" that he was there for his personal safety during the protests. He said that he was there "more for an inspection," saying that he was only there "for a tiny, short little period of time."
Trump's own attorney general William Barr undermined his claims on June 8 in an interview with Fox News, telling the outlet "things were so bad that the Secret Service recommended the president go down to the bunker."
Talking specifically about the protests and unrest, he said, "We can't have that in our country."
Following the May 25 death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer, protests erupted across the country, with demonstrators calling for an end to racial injustice and police brutality.
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