MINNEAPOLIS _ Defenders fighting to restore the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance before St. Louis Park, Minn., City Council meetings have a new ally.
President Donald Trump said in a tweet Tuesday morning, "Outrage is growing in the Great State of Minnesota where our Patriots are now having to fight for the right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I will be fighting with you!"
Trump included in the tweet "@foxandfriends," the all-news network where he often gives interviews.
As is the case with many of the president's tweets, this one was collecting replies, retweets and likes by the thousands right out of the Twitter gate.
Trump has nearly 62 million followers on Twitter, and his morning menu of topics was varied, ranging from Britain's effort to leave the European Union to federal aid for California after the recent earthquakes.
Monday night in St. Louis Park, nearly 100 often raucous protesters jammed into council chambers to urge the city to keep saying the pledge.
Angered that the city had voted to nix the pledge, protesters recited it several times and waved American flags as they confronted the council and called on them to resign.
No vote was taken, but two proposals were introduced to either reverse the decision or continue the discussion with involvement from the community.
The City Council voted 5-0 on June 17 to do away with the pledge at most meetings, due to concerns that some residents in the "increasingly diverse community" may find it unwelcoming.
Last month's vote prompted a backlash at the local and national level, and hundreds of people called or e-mailed the city to protest. Mayor Jake Spano announced on Twitter later that week that the council would be revisiting its decision.
