President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military if the states fail to take necessary actions to "dominate the streets" and "quell" the violent protests that have spread across the US over the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd.

Trump said he was dispatching "thousands and thousands" of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property. Thousands have been protesting against the killing of Floyd, 46, who was pinned to the ground in Minneapolis last week by a white police officer who kneeled on his neck as he gasped for breath.