Trump said at a meeting at the Gateway Church in Dallas that the "radical efforts to defund, dismantle and disband the police" are the wrong way to go and he’ll push in the opposite direction.
"We must invest more energy and resources in police training," Trump said. "We have to respect our police and take care of our police. They’re protecting us, and if they’re allowed to do their job, they’ll do a great job."
Too late for some cops.
Trump said he knows there are some "bad apples" in any line of work, but "I can tell you there are not too many of them in the police." Trump said he’s working on an executive order that would set standards for the use of force by police, including an emphasis on de-escalation tactics.
"We are going to make sure our police are well trained, perfectly trained, have the best equipment," Trump said.
But in his first trip to Texas since the coronavirus outbreak, Trump's message went beyond law enforcement. The White House billed the hour-long meeting as a discussion on how to help minority communities and improve opportunities for all Americans.A real divider we got here!
Trump insisted he's been working on programs to help what he called the "forgotten men and women" of America since he took office. He pointed to criminal justice reforms he signed last year, increased funding for historically black colleges and universities under his administration and record low unemployment among black communities before COVID-19 hit the U.S.
"Americans are good and virtuous people," Trump said. "We have to work together to confront bigotry and prejudice wherever they appear, but we'll make no progress and heal no wounds by falsely labeling tens of millions of decent Americans as racists or bigots."