![]() Trump and his allies have seized on that and other Biden statements, even though Biden, who served as vice president under the nation’s first black president, remains deeply popular among black voters, who helped him secure the Democratic nomination. There could be a small window after Biden last week told a prominent black radio host that African Americans who back Trump “ain’t black,” a gaffe he later said he regretted. The campaign hopes either to win enough black support to keep pivotal states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin in play or minimize enthusiasm for Democratic rival Joe Biden. The outpouring comes as the Trump campaign has sought to chip into the advantage Democrats have with black voters. “We got to get to the very bottom of how this poor individual was treated, and the death of him on the video itself is shocking from what I saw,” said Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.Įven conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who once called Black Lives Matter a “terrorist group,” said Thursday that Floyd’s death was totally “unjustified” and he was “so mad.” There was no resistance,” echoed Bernie Kerik, the former New York police commissioner pardoned by Trump. It defies arrest policies and procedures. Trump's conservative allies also rallied to the cause.įox News host Sean Hannity said he is "a big supporter of law enforcement," but expressed outrage Wednesday night, telling his audience: “The lack of training here is breathtaking.” Trump “was very upset when he saw that video," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday. Trump and his allies have been even clearer on the death of Floyd, who can be heard and seen on tape pleading that he couldn't breathe before he slowly stops talking and moving. The president has notably left open the possibility of some other explanation, saying: “it could be something that we didn’t see on tape." “You know, my heart goes out to the parents and the family and the friends," he told reporters this month. Trump has, however, invoked those words on several occasions to mock political rivals, even bringing his hands to his neck for dramatic effect. Video of the encounter was viewed millions of times online and Garner’s dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement. He has never addressed the 2014 death of Eric Garner, who was placed in a chokehold by police trying to arrest him for selling loose cigarettes. “This is something that is a local matter and that’s something that we feel should be left up to the local authorities,” then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the time. Trump has been silent on a number of high-profile police-involved killings, including that of Stephon Clark, a black man shot by Sacramento police in 2018. “This has nothing to do with politics and is only about making sure justice is done, and anyone who suggests otherwise is only seeking to sow division and ignore the President’s unwavering support for the African-American community,” Deere said, citing Trump’s support for criminal justice reform legislation, Opportunity Zones and historically black colleges and universities. White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump was taking the death seriously. “So therefore he cannot be upset when people feel that it’s empty words because it is so out of character.” Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and Trump critic who has known the president for decades. “This is the first race-tinged case that I’ve ever heard him address” as president, said the Rev. But some activists doubt that Trump has suddenly evolved on the issue of police brutality and instead see election-year political calculations. Once more likely to hew to the “blue lives matter” mantra, Trump and his allies are questioning an officer’s conduct and calling for justice for Floyd. “I feel very, very badly," Trump said Thursday of George Floyd's death while handcuffed and in the custody of Minneapolis police. But it was a very different tone for President Donald Trump, who has often been silent in the face of white-on-black violence and has a long history of defending police. WASHINGTON – It was the kind of personal statement expected from a president in response to the disturbing video of a black man gasping for help as a white policeman pinned him to the street by the neck.
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