St. John's Church photo op and Lafayette Square clearing (June 1, 2020)

On June 1, 2020, law-enforcement actions cleared protesters from Lafayette Square and nearby sidewalks; shortly afterward President Donald Trump walked to St. John's Episcopal Church and posed for photographs holding a Bible. Photographs and videos of the clearing and the church photo op were widely shared across social media and news sites, generating extensive online discussion about the methods used to disperse the crowd and the circumstances of the visit. The events and subsequent official briefings and reporting have been the subject of public debate and formal inquiries.