David Axelrod, Obama’s former chief campaign strategist, current CNN contributor, and director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, shared a New York Times story on Twitter Sunday, claiming the violent riots in Seattle are what President Donald Trump was “hoping for.”

Axelrod captioned his tweet, “The (sic) is precisely what @realDonaldTrump and his campaign were hoping for. He’s an arsonist, not a fireman. He wants to stir violent protests to fuel his “law and order” campaign ads.”

The is precisely what @realDonaldTrump and his campaign were hoping for. He’s an arsonist, not a fireman.
He wants to stir violent protests to fuel his “law and order” campaign ads.https://t.co/XUmo2tSuNW

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 26, 2020

Last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also took a shot at the president’s intentions, labeling his decision to send a “surge of federal law enforcement” to cities across the United States to address ongoing violence as sexist against female Democrat mayors. 

“The president has been on a campaign now, for some time, against Democratic mayors across the country,” Lightfoot said. “Whether it’s me, whether it’s Keisha Lance Bottoms in Atlanta, whether it’s Muriel Bowser in Washington, DC, whether it’s Jenny Durkan in Seattle. You see a common theme here? The president is trying to divert attention from his failed leadership on COVID-19.”

Lightfoot only named cities with female mayors, ignoring the fact that Tump has talked about sending federal law enforcement to New York, run by male Mayor Bill de Blasio, Portland, run by male Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Kansas city, run by male Mayor Quinton Lucas.

Chicago, the third largest city in the country, has experienced unprecedented violence the last two months. Just this past weekend 63 people were shot. However, Lightfoot has made it clear she does not want help from federal law enforcement, writing in a tweet last week, “Under no circumstances will I allow Donald Trump’s troops to come to Chicago and terrorize our residents.” 

Under no circumstances will I allow Donald Trump’s troops to come to Chicago and terrorize our residents.

— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 21, 2020

The mainstream media has added their own spin, driving the narrative that Trump’s move to protect the American people is comparable to the most horrific and deadly regimes in human history, like Iran, military juntas of South America, and the Nazi secret police, Gestapo. They have also equated him to dictators, like Pinochet and Putin. 

The Federalist co-founder and publisher, Ben Domenech, called out Axelrod’s attack as a vile lie.

The idea that Trump *wants* Portland and Seattle to burn and black children to get murdered in Chicago and New York so he can run ads isn’t just a lie, it’s vile. https://t.co/rPZV3wFaKd

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) July 26, 2020

President Trump defended himself against the likes of Axelrod, Lightfoot, and the media, in a tweet this morning, writing, “Homeland Security or Federal Forces are little involved in Seattle, other than we have a large standby team in case of emergency. The media is calling that one wrong also. In Portland, we are protecting Federal property, including the Courthouse, which wouldn’t last a day!”

Homeland Security or Federal Forces are little involved in Seattle, other than we have a large standby team in case of emergency. The media is calling that one wrong also. In Portland, we are protecting Federal property, including the Courthouse, which wouldn’t last a day!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2020