Trump Snaps 'So Are White People' When Asked Why Black People Are Killed By Cops
President Donald Trump took umbrage with a question a CBS News reporter asked about Black Lives Matter on Tuesday.
Reporter Catherine Herridge asked the president in an interview why he thought Black Americans were being shot by police officers.
“So are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people,” Mr. Trump told CBS News. “More white people, by the way. More white people.”
In interview with @realDonaldTrump, @CBS_Herridge asked the president why he thinks African Americans are still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country. His answer is revealing. See more on @cbseveningnews and @cbsthismorning. pic.twitter.com/6VQFpqB8AT
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) July 14, 2020
A 2016 Washington Post story notes white people make up about 49% of those who are killed by police officers, while Black Americans account for 24% of those fatally shot and killed by the police. However, since Black people make up just 13% of the U.S. population, that means they are 2.5 times as likely as white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes had some concerns over the president’s “police kill white people too” response.
It is true that police in the US also kill a lot of white people which is...not really necessarily a super awesome debating point in the police’s favor?
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 14, 2020
Herridge then tried to get the president to understand why many people find the Confederate flag objectionable.
“Well, people love it, and I don’t view ― I know people that like the Confederate flag and they’re not thinking about slavery. I look at NASCAR,” he said in response. NASCAR announced in June that the flags would be banned at its events.
CBS: "You understand why the [Confederate] flag is a painful symbol for many people because it's a reminder of slavery?"
Trump: "Well, people love it, and I don't view-- I know people that like the Confederate flag and they're not thinking about slavery. I look at NASCAR." pic.twitter.com/zKkmJDQaRX— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 14, 2020
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He Has 9 Billion Dollars
In a tasteless boast, Trump went on to reveal he refused a bank's loan of $4bn. He said: “I don’t need it. I don’t want it. And I’ve been there.”
While millions of Americans continue to suffer the effects of sluggish economic growth, Trump is blissfully unaffected. Well, that's how he makes it sound.
But He's Never Used A Cash Machine
During an appearance on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien', Trump said that he'd never seen the need to use ATMs, all the while hinting at his extraordinary wealth.
He Gets Super Defensive About Money
But unlike those struggling to make ends meet, Trump is more concerned with the perception of his wealth, which he says is "more than $9 bn".
When an author suggested Trump had a net worth of less than $300m, the property tycoon sued him for libel.
Yet during testimony, Trump admitted his own estimations depend on his "feelings".
It was reported Trump said: "Yes, even my own feelings (guide estimates of my wealth), as to where the world is, where the world is going, and that can change rapidly from day to day."
Trump lost the libel case.
He's Leading A Fact-Free Campaign
In a remarkable exchange with FOX News host Bill O'Reilly, the famously impertinent presenter took exception to flawed statistics banded about by Trump.
O’Reilly: This bothered me, I gotta tell ya. You tweeted out that whites killed by blacks — these are statistics you picked out from somewhere — at a rate of 81 percent. And that’s totally wrong. Whites killed by blacks is 15 percent, yet you tweeted it was 81 percent. Now …
Trump: Bill, I didn’t tweet, I retweeted somebody that was supposedly an expert, and it was also a radio show.
O’Reilly: Yeah, but you don’t wanna be. … Why do you want to be in that zone?
Trump: Hey, Bill, Bill, am I gonna check every statistic? I get millions and millions of people, @RealDonaldTrump, by the way.
O’Reilly: You gotta, you’re a presidential contender, you gotta check ’em.
He Takes His Name Way Too Seriously
J. Taikwok Yung, a self-described "domainer" from Brooklyn, NY, was hauled before judges after Trump noticed he'd bought up a huge amount of his brand online.
Trump sought the maximum damages allowed - $100,000 for each of the four Trump-related domain names bought by Yung.
And he had legal grounds: Trump is a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Organisation and is adorned on many a high-stakes casino, and several hotels.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
