He didn’t invoke a centuries-old law to give him that authority. But he might later.

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act — a centuries-old law that gives the president the authority to send the US military into US cities and towns to quash domestic unrest — if state governors don’t take sufficient action to quell the ongoing protests and unrest happening in cities across the country.

President Trump, in a conference call Monday with the nation's governors, threatened to deploy the U.S. military to restore order unless states hit by days of unrest "put down" violent demonstrations, urging leaders to "dominate" lawbreakers or risk looking like "a bunch of jerks."

The upbraiding from the White House didn't sit well with many governors, who have been busy responding to clashes between protesters and law enforcement in dozens of U.S. cities sparked by the death due to asphyxiation a week ago of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

Liberals expressed disgust Monday night at President Trump’s mobilizing of military and civilian forces to confront nationwide rioting.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, Washington Democrat, said the president’s action “proves that he cannot lead us through these tumultuous times and unite the country.”