Donald Trump is demanding ten year prison sentences for protesters who tried to pull down a statue of former president Andrew Jackson while trying to build a 'Black House Autonomous Zone' outside the White House. 

Trump announced that 'numerous people' have been arrested for the 'disgraceful vandalism' of the 'magnificent' statue of Jackson Lafayette Park and also wrote that protesters had defaced the exterior of St. John's Church.

In a tweet following violent clashes between demonstrators and cops in riot gear, he wrote: '10 years in prison under the Veteran's Memorial Preservation Act. Beware!'

Police in Washington, DC, used pepper spray to arrest protesters who were trying to tear down the statue while building a so-called 'Black House Autonomous Zone' near the White House.

'Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Andrew Jackson's got to go,' protesters shouted as they threw ropes around the statue of the controversial seventh president whose figure is depicted on a horse in Lafayette Park.

As they tried to pull the statue down, DC police began to break up the crowd and clear the area, according to The Washington Post.

At least two people have been arrested for attempting to assault a police officer.  

Since coming to office in January 2017, Trump aides have sought to draw comparisons between the bareknuckle Democratic president, Jackson, and Trump.