The killing of George Floyd was "terrible," but "more white people" are dying at the hands of police, President Donald Trump says after he was asked why Black Americans are still being killed by law enforcement.
"So are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people," Trump told CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge in an interview Tuesday at the White House. "More white people, by the way. More white people."
Trump's comments come after nationwide protests against police brutality have been held after the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, who died when a white police officer him down by a knee to the neck for almost 9 minutes.
Trump has also come under criticism over his defense of the Confederate flag and statues of Confederate officers, and on Tuesday, he reiterated that he believes the Confederate flag is a freedom of speech issue.
"It's very simple," said Trump. "My attitude is freedom of speech. Very strong views on the Confederate flag. With me, it's freedom of speech. Very simple. Like it, don't like it, it's freedom of speech."
However, he parried when asked if he'd be comfortable with his supporters displaying the flag at campaign events, telling Herridge that "it depends on what your definition is. But I am comfortable with freedom of speech. It's very simple."
But when Herridge pressed him on whether he understands why the flag is a painful symbol for many people, he responded that he knows "people that like the Confederate flag and they're not thinking about slavery. I look at NASCAR — you go to NASCAR, you had those flags all over the place. They stopped it. I just think it's freedom of speech, whether it's freedom of speech, whether it's Confederate flags or Black Lives Matter or anything else you want to talk about. It's freedom of speech."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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