A day after threatening to federalize forces to snuff out riots across the country, the president appears to be backing off the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act, sources familiar with his plans tell Axios.
What we’re hearing: Aides say he hasn’t ruled out its use at some point, but that he’s “pleased” with the way protests were handled last night (apart from in New York City, as he indicated on Twitter today) — and that for now he’s satisfied with leaving the crackdown to states through local law enforcement and the National Guard.
“The law is absolutely still on the table if things get really bad, but as of now he doesn’t think it’s going to have to go that far,” an administration official tells Axios.
A second official said Trump saw and continues to see the act as a mechanism only if governors can’t contain chaos in their states.
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