The Church of St John had been vandalized the previous day during clashes between the police and demonstrators who came to protest against racism and police violence in the United States. The American President walked, Bible in hand, to the sacred building. To free the passage to Donald Trump, the police dispersed the crowd with tear gas a few minutes earlier, journalists on the spot reported.
Very attended by photographers and journalists, this visit was also widely commented on by the detractors of the President. This dispersion, "shameful" according to the Democratic mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, only served to offer the President "a photo session" lambasted the governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo.