By Felicia Sonmez, The Washington Post
In interview with @realDonaldTrump, @CBS_Herridge asked the president why he thinks African Americans are still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country. His answer is revealing. See more on @cbseveningnews and @cbsthismorning. pic.twitter.com/6VQFpqB8AT
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) July 14, 2020
Trump’s remarks come after weeks of nationwide protests over police brutality and systemic racism after the death in May of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in Minneapolis police custody.
They also come amid a deepening debate over Confederate symbols. Some demonstrators have toppled statues of Confederate figures, arguing that their removal is long overdue. Democrats on Capitol Hill have pushed forward with a proposal to remove the names of Confederate generals from military installations, and NASCAR last month banned displays of the Confederate flag at all its events and properties.
In the interview with CBS News’s Catherine Herridge, Trump called Floyd’s death “terrible.” But he appeared to dismiss the notion that systemic racism is a problem in U.S. law enforcement.
“Why are African Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?” Herridge asked Trump.
In absolute numbers, more white people than Black people are killed by police in the country. According to a Washington Post analysis last month, 45 percent of those shot and killed by police since 2015 were white, while 23 percent were black.
But white people comprise 60 percent of the U.S. population, while Black people make up only 13 percent. Thus, black people are fatally shot by police at a higher rate than white people.
This article originally appeared in The Washington Post.
