Trump Was Reportedly Furious When His 2020 Stay In The White House Bunker Got Exposed

Donald Trump was no stranger to controversy during his time in the White House, including during the 2020 protests over police brutality after the death of George Floyd. Trump staged an infamous photo op on June 1, 2020, holding a Bible in front of St. John's Church after protestors had been cleared using tear gas. That may have been, at least in part, a face-saving move to portray Trump as out and about and unafraid in the face of the unrest since just a few days before, reports came out in the news that Trump had been taken to a bunker by the Secret Service along with Melania and Barron Trump. His presence in the White House bunker during the protests was confirmed by two anonymous sources, including one within the administration.

After media reports of Trump spending almost an hour in the secure bunker began circulating, Trump was not happy about it, and he let people around him know the depth of his anger about what had happened. Michael C. Bender, senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, wrote about the incident in his book "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost," saying that Trump wanted to find out who had leaked the info: "'Whoever did that, they should be charged with treason!' Trump yelled. 'They should be executed!'"

It sounds like Donald Trump was livid that someone close to him had anonymously revealed to the press that he'd been taken to a secure bunker amid the protests. In "Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost," Michael C. Bender revealed that Trump's anger at the situation, "was the most upset some aides had ever seen the president." Trump became fixated on finding out who it was; he continued to check in with his chief of staff Mark Meadows to see if he'd found out the identity of the person behind the leak. 

In an apparent attempt to save face, Trump denied being taken to the bunker for any potential security concern when he spoke with Brian Kilmeade on his Fox News radio talk show a few days later. Trump did acknowledge that he went to the bunker, but for more administrative purposes than anything else. "I went down during the day," Trump explained, "and I was there for a tiny little short period of time and it was much more for an inspection."

Donald Trump told Brian Kilmeade that the Secret Service didn't say anything about it being dangerous for him so that they needed to take him to the bunker. Instead, Trump said they told him, "it would be a good time to go down and take a look because maybe sometime you're going to need it," per Fox News. It seems clear he didn't want people to think he needed to be there for his safety, as that might make him look weak in the eyes of the public.

Being taken to a bunker during unrest on the streets outside the White House would certainly be a hit to Trump's desire to be seen as a strong and powerful leader who doesn't back down. So, trying to rewrite the narrative on what went down makes a lot of sense. However, that version of events was countered by Attorney General Bill Barr just a few days later. Barr said that the bunker visit was very much for security and was prompted by a request from the Secret Service, according to CNN.

Trump's anger over the bunker leaker was far from unprecedented. Leaks were an ongoing problem during Trump's administration, and his opinion of them was clear — in 2018, he tweeted, "Leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!"