The real meaning and history of 'When the looting starts the shooting starts' - Donald Trump’s Twitter threat

At the end of May, Twitter placed a “public interest notice” on a post from Donald Trump about protests in the US city of Minneapolis.

The president tweeted after protesters angered by the death of George Floyd in police custody set fire to a police station, and threatened, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.

“...These THUGS are dishonouring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” Trump’s tweet read.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What does ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts' mean?

The tweet can now only be read after clicking on a disclaimer from Twitter moderators which reads: “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.”

But what does ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’ mean?

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that it’s not an original quote from Trump. Instead, the President is actually echoing the words of late Miami police chief Walter Headley.