Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez bashed President Donald Trump for his response to the protests in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd. 

There was worldwide outrage Thursday night when Trump referred to the protesters as "thugs" and implied that the military should start shooting American citizens after demonstrations in the city became volatile.

"…These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen," the 45th U.S. president wrote. "Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

Subsequently, Twitter added a marker to the tweet saying it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence."

The site said it was still "in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible" and allows users to see it, but people cannot like it or comment under it.  

Trump criticized the platform for putting the notice over his original tweet and continued to blast the website for its censorship.  

In a statement obtained by Blavity, Perez didn't hold back in criticizing the president for making the already volatile situation even worse with his tweet.

“The killing of George Floyd is another tragic case of the violence Black men face in America every single day," he wrote. "No person of character and common sense can watch the video footage of what police did to George Floyd without being horrified."

"And yet, this president has done nothing to heal those wounds. Instead, he has sown division; he has advocated violence against protestors, rather than condemning the racist violence that launched these protests in the first place," Perez continued.

Protests against the killing of Floyd grew on Thursday as people expressed their frustration with Minneapolis officials who were still hesitant to arrest the officer seen on video kneeling on Floyd's neck. Officer Derek Chauvin was finally arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

"We will not heal as a nation through silence, but through justice, through progress, through activism and action. George Floyd is the name we’re chanting today. Yesterday it was Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Before that it was Botham Jean, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Freddie Gray, Laquan McDonald," Perez said.

Since his initial tweet on the situation, the president has sought to rectify his words, claiming he was misunderstood in a series of tweets.

"Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night – or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot," he said. "I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means…."

"…It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It’s very simple, nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media," Trump continued. "Honor the memory of George Floyd!"

In his statement, Perez called Trump's response shameful and advocated for measures to be taken to address widespread racism. 

"We will keep saying their names. We will keep honoring their lives. And we will keep seeking justice for their families and the families of those whose tragedies weren’t captured on video by fighting to end police brutality and the institutional racism that pervades every aspect of our society. So long as Black men and women cannot breathe, we cannot rest," Perez said. 

Democratic National Committeegeorge-floydMinneapolis-ProtestsPresident Donald TrumpTom Perez