First lady Melania Trump asks 'everyone to protest in peace,' critics push back

As President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump paid a visit to a Catholic shrine in Washington Tuesday, critics attacked her tweets calling for peaceful protests in the national demonstrations following the death of George Floyd.

In her second public statement in recent days about the protests that have erupted in multiple cities, including Washington, Trump said she was "saddened" by scenes of violence.

"Saddened to see our country & communities being damaged & vandalized. I ask everyone to protest in peace & focus on taking care of one another & healing our great nation," she wrote on her official Twitter account Monday.

She posted another tweet on Friday condemning violence.

The first lady did not mention the reason for the national demonstrations, which began after video emerged showing a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling for nearly nine minutes on the neck of a handcuffed black man.

The man, George Floyd, died and the police officer has since been arrested and charged in connection with his death.

"Our country allows for peaceful protests, but there is no reason for violence. I’ve seen our citizens unify & take care of one another through COVID19 & we can’t stop now. My deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd. As a nation, let's focus on peace, prayers & healing," her Friday tweet said.

As usual with tweets from Trump, critics on Twitter pushed back.

They questioned her sincerity and accused her of ignoring the anger over the death of another African American at the hands of police officers. They said her husband's threats to use military force against demonstrators and his statements about the protesters made the situation worse.

"Healing would start with the apologies from Mr. #POTUS??," tweeted a user called creatur clubb. "Our current divided and broken social system starts by the felty rich wanting to snatch every penny. By white supremacists thinking this country is only theirs. And, civil rights only apply to them."

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the first lady, who is a Roman Catholic, and the president visited the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, where they laid a ceremonial wreath, observed a moment of remembrance under the statue of the late pope, and posed for pictures.

That, too, was criticized.

"John Paul II would had been horrified of what Trump is. What he stands for. I hope the Catholic Church says something," tweeted Fabiana.

Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory also denounced the Trump visit to the shrine.

“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree,” Gregory said in a statement.

The night before, Washington police used tear gas and flash grenades to clear peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square north of the White House so that the president could walk through the square to nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he posed with a Bible.

Mariann Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, told CNN she was outraged by the use of tear gas to get people out of the way for a photo op.

"The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for," she said.

Protests for George Floyd: continue at the White House, in Washington, DC

More: President Trump says he spoke to George Floyd's family, address protests and violence

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melania Trump calls for peaceful protests, critics push back