'Put these animals in jail': Trump condemns protestors in Portland and continues his 'law and order' campaign rhetoric

• President Donald Trump blasted demonstrators who organized in Portland on Sunday evening.
• "Put these animals in jail, now," he tweeted Monday morning. "The Radical Left only knows how to take advantage of very dumb 'leadership' fools. This is Biden! Law & Order!"
• People gathered in the Oregon city for an event called "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage Against Colonialism" to protest Columbus Day and toppled two statues of former presidents.
• Trump also tweeted that New York and California have gone "to hell."

President Donald Trump doubled down on his "law and order" campaign rhetoric on Monday morning by denouncing protestors in Portland, Oregon, and calling for their arrests after some of them toppled two statues on Sunday night.

"Put these animals in jail, now," Trump said on Monday morning in a retweeted video of the protests. "The Radical Left only knows how to take advantage of very dumb 'leadership' fools. This is Biden! Law & Order!"

The demonstration, called an "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage Against Colonialism," took aim at Monday's federal holiday that honors Christopher Columbus. According to the organizers' website, the event started at 7 p.m. local time. By 9:30 p.m., police deemed the gathering a "riot" after protestors toppled statues of former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, a local news station reported.

"The Radical Left fools in Portland don't want any help from real Law Enforcement which we will provide instantaneously. Vote!" Trump tweeted Monday.

Trump is recovering from the coronavirus and trails Democratic nominee Joe Biden in national polls.

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020

The president also encouraged Americans to vote in tweets blasting states he has called "poorly run" by Democrats.

"California is going to hell," he wrote during his morning tweetstorm. "Vote Trump!"

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020

Trump's comments are a continuation of his attacks on Democratic leaders and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who he has claimed is weak on "law and order."

Anti-racism protests have unfolded across big and small cities across the country, and notably in Portland, as people took to the streets to protest police brutality against Black Americans like George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. Some of the protests have led to clashes with police. Biden has defended himself by repeatedly praising peaceful demonstrations and condemning protests that involve looting and destruction to property.

Local outlet Oregon Live reported that crowds dispersed on Sunday evening after the police arrived and appeared to make several arrests.