President Donald Trump offered a comparison of police officers’ excessive use of force to golfers who “choke” in tournaments.
During a Fox News interview on Monday evening, the president and host Laura Ingraham discussed the civil unrest and aftermath that erupted in Kenosha, Wis., following the shooting of Jacob Blake, Jr.
Trump claimed that police officers are “under siege” as he offered his take on their use of force. The president insisted that officers “choke” just as golfers do in tournaments.
“They choke,” Trump said. “Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt.”
Ingraham interjected saying, “You’re not comparing it to golf. Because of course that’s what the media would say.”
Trump went on to further explain his reasoning for the statement as he defended law enforcement.
“I’m saying people choke. People choke,” Trump said, adding, “And people are bad people. You have both. You have some bad people, and they choke.”
He continued, “You could be a police officer for 15 years and all of a sudden you’re confronted. You’ve got a quarter of a second to make a decision. If you don’t make the decision — and you’re wrong —you’re dead. People choke under those circumstances, and they make a bad decision.”
See Trump’s remarks below:
Trump starts comparing police shootings to golfers missing putts, but Laura Ingraham cuts him off because she realizes how bad it sounds pic.twitter.com/7oDnfUIaRf
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 1, 2020
Trump’s latest remarks come amid ongoing unrest in cities across the United States.
Protests and riots have erupted in Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Kenosha, New York, and now South Los Angeles following the latest officer-involved shooting of a Black man identified as Dijon Kizzee. It has been reported that Kizzee was shot over an alleged bicycle code violation.
Over the past week, counter-protests also erupted in Portland and Kenosha, leaving a total of three people dead. Despite public outcry and calls for Trump to denounce violence on both sides, he has yet to do so.
The president is expected to travel to Kenosha on Tuesday.
