Trump claimed he had done more for the black community than his predecessors.
Washington:
President Donald Trump sparked controversy on Friday calling it a “big day” for George Floyd, the man whose death in custody last week sparked nationwide protests against police brutality against Afro- Americans.
“We’ve all seen what happened last week. We can’t let that happen,” said Trump of Floyd, who was killed while a white Minneapolis policeman was kneeling around his neck for almost nine minutes.
“I hope George looks down right now and says,” It’s a great thing that’s going on for our country. “”
The remarks during a televised White House briefing arrived eleven days after Floyd’s death and caused confusion as to why Trump thought it was a great day for Floyd.
“This is a big, big day in terms of equality,” added Trump, even though he is accused by many of having failed to respond to the racism, police brutality and inequality protested by protesters.
Trump had summoned the media to host a surprisingly solid U.S. employment report, the opposite of what economists expected given the measures in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The rest of his speech was devoted to welcoming the good news about the economy, which Trump said was now in “rocket” mode.
Many people viewed Trump’s big day comments as too close a link between Floyd’s death and the good economic news of the day, and as speaking for Floyd on the economy.
The White House has called this interpretation “false”.
“It was very clear that the president was talking about the fight for equal justice and equal treatment before the law when he made this comment,” White House senior communications advisor Ben wrote on Twitter. Williamson.
Trump raised this issue before speaking about Floyd: “Equality of justice before the law must mean that every American is treated equally every time they meet the police, regardless of race, color, gender or belief, “he said.
‘Contemptible’
Trump’s decision to put words into Floyd’s mouth was nonetheless strongly criticized.
Joe Biden, his alleged Democratic opponent in the November elections, immediately denounced Trump for invoking the name of Floyd, calling him “despicable.”
“George Floyd’s last words,” I can’t breathe, “echoed across our nation and around the world,” Biden tweeted.
“For the president, trying to put other words in his mouth is frankly despicable.”
Since Floyd’s death on May 25 and the ensuing protests, including riots and looting in many U.S. cities, Trump has fostered a military response.
Presenting himself as a “law and order” president, Trump has threatened to send the U.S. military to the streets to quell ongoing protests.
Trump reiterated Friday that authorities must “dominate the streets” and criticized state governors who rejected the National Guard’s dispatch during the protests and riots.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper rejected Trump over the idea of deploying troops, a proposal that has come under fire from former Pentagon leaders, including Jim Mattis.
Trump has always believed that the best policy for reducing inequality is to promote economic growth among African Americans.
“What you see now … is the greatest thing that can happen for race relations, for the African American community, for Asian Americans, for Spanish Americans, for women, for everything,” said Trump Friday.
“Our country is so strong, and this is my plan. We are going to have the strongest economy in the world,” he added.
In the past three years, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he has “done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln,” who abolished slavery in the 1860s.
