US Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley said he was wrong to wear a military uniform with Trump to the church amid protests.

"I should not have been there," General Mark Milley said today in the video that will be played at the opening ceremony of the US Defense University.

Milley mentioned the event on June 1, when he and other senior officials in the government accompanied President Donald Trump to walk from the White House through Lafayette Park to St. Peter's Church.

Earlier, US National Police and Guards used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park to clear the road, creating a security belt for Trump and accompanying officials.

The incident took place after Trump threatened to activate the Anti-Riot Act, enacted in 1807, which allowed the federal government to use the military to cope with domestic unrest and a number of other emergency situations, in order to

General Milley and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper were strongly criticized for going to church with Trump.

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It is common for US military officials to wear official uniform when attending White House meetings.

"As a commanding officer, I admit mistakes and learn from this. I really hope we can all learn from this lesson," Milley said.

Protests have been spreading across the United States over the past two weeks to protest the death of a black man George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis on May 25.