We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Demonstrators in the US have been protesting the death of unarmed Black man George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer as well as issues like police brutality in the US against African-American citizens. Trump hosted a meeting with state, federal and local law enforcement chiefs at the White House on Monday.

At the briefing, Trump said: “There won’t be defunding, there won’t be dismantling of our police.

“We want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there … but 99 percent … of them are great great people and have done jobs that are record setting.”

George Floyd’s killing on May 25 sparked national and international outrage, which led to protests across the world calling for equality in race relations.

Some demonstrators as well as some liberal Democrats are advocating for cuts to police budgets.

Moderate Democrats have not voiced the same concerns, including Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Protesters heckled Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over the weekend after he announced he had no intentions to slash the city’s police force’s budget.

At a White House briefing on Monday, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the President “is appalled by the defund the police movement.”

Ms McEnany said Trump is “taking a look at various” measures proposed following George Floyd’s death, but did not specify what these proposals are.

On Monday, Democrats in Congress revealed a bill that would classify lynching as a hate crime.

The legislation would allow victims of police brutality and their relatives to take legal action against police for damages through the civil court.

The breakthrough legislation would put an end to a legal regulation known as qualified immunity.

Trump has recently come under fire after urging governors to repress protesters across the country, threatening to draft in the US military.

DON’T MISS:
Shaun Bailey slams ‘half-cocked’ report on BAME COVID-19 deaths [UPDATES]
Royal expert shock claims about Prince Charles’ fight against COVID-19 [REVEALED]
Alok Sharma to hold “recovery roundtables” this week [INSIGHT]

Ms McEnany said on Monday that the President believes there are some “instances” of racism among police forces but maintained that he police officers are largely good people.

She also said that Trump opposes kneeling at the protests against the killing of George Floyd due to its other connotations.

“The president is very much against kneeling in general,” she said during the press briefing.

“He’s not a fan of the kneeling movement, he’s made that very clear, particularly because he thinks it’s disrespectful to our military as the kneeling originated as the kneeling during the national anthem.”

During the 2016 National Football League season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat and then kneeled throughout the Star Spangled Banner in protest against racial inequality.

In 2017, Trump publicly explained his opinion on NFL players kneeling in a tweet.

‘If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem,” Trump wrote.

“If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

Ms McEnany said she was not aware whether Trump still maintained his point.

“I have no information on that and I have not talked to him about that,” she said.

Source: Read Full Article