President Trump called George Floyd’s death a “disgrace,” but doubled down on his defense of police officers across the country.
In an interview with Fox News’ Harris Faulkner Thursday night, Mr. Trump described Mr. Floyd’s neck as “more than eight minutes of horror,” but said many were using that to paint a negative light on all law enforcement.
“The fact is they start saying police are like that. Police aren’t like that. I’ve seen so many incredible things,” he said.
The viral video of Mr. Floyd’s death — showing a white police officer kneeling on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds as he pleaded for help — sparked a nationwide outrage. Protesters have marched for more than a week against racial inequality while demanding substantial changes to policing practices in the U.S.
When the protests began in late May, there was also a surge of violence and rioting in several cities, prompting Mr. Trump to vow that he would crackdown on the unrest.
At one point he tweeted, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Mr. Trump received a wave of backlash for that controversial tweet, seen by many as a threat against the protesters. The phrase was also infamously tied to Miami police Chief Walter Headley in the late 1960s, seen by activists as antagonist towards the Civil Rights Movement.
Ms. Faulkner explained the context of the phrase to the president during the interview, and Mr. Trump defended his choice of words, acknowledging that it can be seen as a threat but it was also reality.
“It was from the chief of police in Miami, he was cracking down,” Ms. Faulkner said. “He meant what he said. And he said: ‘I don’t even care if it makes it look like brutality, I’m going to crack down, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.’ That frightened a lot of people when you said that.”
“One is if there is looting, there is probably going to be shooting, and that is not a threat. That’s really just a fact because that’s what happens,” Mr. Trump said. “The other is if there is looting, there is going to be shooting. They are very different meanings.”
The president has branded himself a champion of “law and order,” while garnering lots of criticism that he’s cracking down on peaceful demonstrations, particularly in Washington D.C.
This all comes as lawmakers in Washington work feverishly to put together several policing overhaul proposals.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump announced his “force with compassion” plan that would ramp up training requirements at police departments, and include pilot programs to allow social workers to join certain law enforcement officers. It wouldn’t allow for departments to be defunded or abolished.
“We are going to do lots of, I think, good things,” Mr. Trump said in the interview. “We also have to keep our police and law enforcement strong. They have to do it right.”
