WASHINGTON: The top US military official apologized on Thursday for being at President Donald Trump's side as he walked to a church for a photo opportunity after authorities dispersed protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, the New York Times reported.

"I should not have been there," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said in a prerecorded video commencement address to National Defense University, the paper said.

"My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics."