After George Floyd‘s mural in Ohio’s Toledo was struck down by lightning and reduced to rubble on Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr reacted to the incident, saying he wondered “if someone, like a higher power, is telling us something here?”

In a long Instagram post, the Republican wrote, “This will drive some people nuts but oh well. I mean you have to wonder if someone, like a higher power, is telling us something here?!?”

While Donald Trump Jr said that what happened to George Floyd was wrong but he added that people should not turn him into a “role model” or a “deity.”

“Obviously what happened to George Floyd should never happen anywhere!!! That said, objectively speaking, given his history I’m not sure turning him into a deity and a role model for our children is exactly the right idea either,” the eldest child of the former US President Donald Trump said. 

Also Read | Death, protest, conviction: Timeline of events since George Floyd’s death

The 43-year-old continued, “Also please don’t tell me they’re not trying to turn him into a role model/hero there’s statues of him going up all over the country etc. etc. The same lunatics who want to erase our founding fathers want statues of this man all over the place. Again, we can learn from a disastrous situation but the pendulum seems to always correct way too far these days. Discuss!!!”

See his post here:

George Floyd was killed last year on May 25 in Minnesota when a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, despite the black man repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” 

The incident was captured on video and spread on social media as protests erupted globally against the use of excessive force by police officers on black suspects and the lack of police accountability.

Also Read | Derek Chauvin: The cop who became the face of police brutality

The mural in Ohio was created by Toledo artist David Ross last year. He had said that the artwork stands as a reminder to never forget what happened on that day in May of 2020.

The artwork has served as a space for memorial services for Floyd, including on the first anniversary of his death.