Regardless of why Lafayette Square was cleared of the protesters and a fence erected, the timing of Trump's stroll through the square to be photographed and videoed standing in front of St. John's Church while holding a bible was impeccable.
This was the first time since the White House opened in 1800 that a fence was erected around Lafayette Square. The BLM protests in front of the White House in Lafayette Square, a public park, began on May 29, 2020. Police cleared the park and the fence was delivered and completely erected on June 1, 2020. On June 1, 2020 at 7:01 p.m Trump strode across Lafayette Square, stood in front of St. John's Episcopal Church and held up a bible while being videoed. The fence was removed on June 10, 2020.
Trump defended what he called a "very symbolic" photo-op on Monday in front of St. John's Church and dismissed a suggestion that he needed to do more to comfort the nation after the death of George Floyd, saying that cracking down on violent protests was paramount.