WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump bristled at a reporter’s question about police killing African Americans and defended the right to display the Confederate flag as he continued to play into racial divisions in a pair of interviews Tuesday.
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In one interview, Trump seemed taken aback when asked why African Americans are still dying at the hands of police.
“And so are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people,” Trump told CBS’s Catherine Herridge. “More white people, by the way. More white people.”
There is no national database tracking police-involved shootings. But studies have shown that Black Americans are much more likely to be killed by police, even though more whites — who represent a larger portion of the population — are killed. One study that examined the use of lethal force by law enforcement from 2009 to 2012, for instance, found that, while victims were a majority white (52%), they were disproportionately Black (32%) with a fatality rate 2.8 times higher among Blacks than whites.
In the interview, Trump also defended the use of the Confederate flag, despite saying in 2015 that he believed the flag belongs in a museum.
“All I say is freedom of speech. It’s very simple. My attitude is freedom of speech,” Trump responded. “Very simple. Like it, don’t like it, it’s freedom of speech.”
Asked whether he understood the flag is a painful symbol to many because it is a reminder of slavery, Trump told CBS that some “people love it,” adding: “And I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery.”
Trump has been under fire for his response to the mass anti-racism protests that broke out across the across the nation following the killing of George Floyd in police custody. In the face of demands for racial justice and equality, Trump has instead leaned in on a law-and-order message, painting mostly peaceful protesters as domestic “terrorists” and continuing to stoke divisions.
In a second interview with the conservative Townhall Media, Trump defended the white St. Louis couple captured on video brandishing guns as they defended their home during one racial injustice protest.
Trump claimed that Mark and Patricia McCloskey “were going to be beat up badly, if they were lucky” and said their house would have been “totally ransacked and probably burned down” had they not been out there. “And now I understand somebody local, they want to prosecute these people. It’s a disgrace,” he said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson told reporters that he spoke with Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr by phone earlier Tuesday and that the president expressed concern that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, may file charges against the couple.
“I think the president didn’t like what he was seeing, and the way people are being treated,” Parson said, adding: “I think you’ll see some sort of actions.”
The flag represents state rights something you dems are yelling about now .
Floyds death is overdone and time to end ‘tis sympathy nonsense . You guys are terrorists and thugs . More deaths from protests and street violence . We still want retribution on the callous attack in midtown
The media is the root of all evil. Spreading lie’s and hate.
The news media does not reveal why there are “disproportionately” more deaths by Blacks at the hands of police, than Whites. According to FBI statistics, 60% of armed robberies, felonious assaults, and more than 50% of homicides are perpetrated by Blacks, even though they are only about 13% of the population. Hence, that demographic group is going to have more contact with police, involving violent incidents and heinous crimes. Also, although the news media focuses on Black on Black crime, and especially White on Black crime (which is rare), it never focuses on Black on White crime, which is very prevalent. According to the FBI, Whites are nearly seven times more likely to become a victim of Black on White crime, than the other way around, based on the proportion of Blacks in the population. Again, the news media will never report those facts. After all, if someone reports those facts, they are automatically branded a racist or a supremacist, by the corrupt news media.
More ap fake news. Why o why VIN do you post this garbage. Here’s 2 examples of fake news in the article for all you trump haters.
1) “as he continues to play into racial divisions” seriously?? By telling the truth and not buying into the blm stupid hoax that’s playing into racial division? The blm movement is what created the racial divide and invented “systemic racism” that doesn’t exist. With Obama at the top of this.
2) trump said more whites are killed. That’s a fact. A true fact. So the blacks are a higher percentage of their population what does that prove? Nothing. They are more likely to commit violent crimes and more likely to give the cops a hard time. That’s why it’s disproportionate. So big time fake news.
Did some liberal woke write this article? “Objective journalism” my foot!
The total is higher for white people as is the per capita if you look at total arrests because that is the only statistic that matters, out of 10,000 arrests of white people 4 are killed and out of 10,000 arrests of black people 3 are killed.