- Trump aides gave up on writing him a unifying TV address over a lack of ideas and his "seeming disinterest," the Associated Press reported.
- Instead, Trump will give a speech about the importance of law and order, according to the AP and Politico.
- Protests that started in Minneapolis on Tuesday after the death of George Floyd have spread to dozens of US cities.
- The National Guard is deployed in more than 20 states and clashed with protesters and looters.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
US President Donald Trump and his aides reportedly planned a national address of unity with the intent of calming widespread unrest over racist police violence, but gave up after a lack of good policy proposals.
Protests that started in Minneapolis on Tuesday after the death of George Floyd have spread to dozens of US cities, including Washington, DC, where protesters have gathered since Friday.
White House aides wanted Trump to give a unifying Oval Office address to diffuse the tensions raging across the US, the Associated Press said.
But according to the AP it was "scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president's own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity."
Trump and his advisers decided he should keep silent "because he had nothing new to say and had no tangible policy or action to announce yet," The Washington Post reported.
A senior administration official told The Post that Trump would give a formal address this week, but would first "embark on a listening tour" to identify a message.
Trump may also skip the message of unity and instead extol the benefits of law and order.
A White House official told the AP that Trump would give an address in which he would "draw distinctions between the legitimate anger of peaceful protesters and the unacceptable actions of violent agitators."
Chief of staff Mark Meadows is one of those advocating that message, according to Politico.
But several top aides, and Jared Kushner, are against the idea, Politico said, fearing it "could alienate key voters ahead of the November election, including African Americans."
On Friday night, Trump was taken to the White House bunker for an hour as protesters gathered outside the building.
Trump has both expressed sympathy for Floyd's family and slammed protester violence and looting. The National Guard is deployed in more than 20 states as it seeks to get people off the streets.
Appearing at the joint SpaceX and NASA rocket launch in Florida on Saturday, Trump spent the first section of his speech addressing the unrest.
"I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, attack, and menace. Healing, not hatred, justice, not chaos, are the mission at hand," he said.
Trump returned to the White House on Saturday and spent all of Sunday inside.
The president last gave an Oval Office address at the outset of the coronavirus crisis.
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