Speaking at a cult rally in Michigan to bolster his flagging campaign, incumbent republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lauded police use of force against protesters, the Washington Post reports.
Talking about the protests that arose in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, killing him, Trump claimed he ordered Minnesota National Guard in, and “something very beautiful” about “watching everybody get pushed around.” (Trump, in fact, didn’t order the National Guard to respond to the unrest; the Minnesota governor did. The President has no authority to order the Guard in.)
“Wasn’t that beautiful?” Trump said. “In Minneapolis‚ they came in, these soldiers … And they had their tear gas, and they had their pepper spray, which the other side doesn’t want you to use, because it’s not nice.
“They can throw cans at you,” he said. “They can throw rocks and stones and hurt your police, but you’re not allowed to guard yourself with tear gas, pepper spray.”
“There’s something about that,” Trump said, “when you’re watching everybody getting pushed around, there’s something very beautiful about it.”
After the mob cheered, Trump acknowledged that the statement was “not politically correct, You people get it; you get it probably better than I do even” (whatever that means).