President Donald Trump says he's willing to enact the Insurrection Act if necessary, but so far it hasn't been.

"We have an Insurrection Act for a reason," he said. "If I had to enact it - I'd do that. If people were being killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up."

He added: "We have to make sure our cities are safe."

The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the president to dispatch active-duty military in states that are unable to put down an insurrection or are defying federal law.

Under the law, the president can activate troops without a governor’s approval as long as specific conditions are met, such as if the violence is interfering with the execution of laws there.