In New Hampshire’s Saturday night debate, Donald Trump made statements and arguments that won over voters, furthering his lead in the polls.
But one question left viewers confused by his non-answer on the growing antagonism toward law enforcement, especially in the black community.
Trump’s response was basically, “I love cops.”
When the debate moderator pushed for an answer, specifically on excessive force, Trump appeared oblivious to the advantage that Law Enforcement holds when challenged in court:
Well, they do. And, you know, they sue. Everybody sues, right? They see excessive — I mean, they go out, they sue. We have so much litigation — I see the courts, I see what they’re doing. They sue, and you know what? We don’t want excessive force. But at what point — you know, either you’re going to have a police force that can do its job…
I was just up in Manchester, I met with the police officers yesterday. Tremendous people. They love the area, they love the people, they love all the people. They want to do their job. And you’re going to have abuse and you’re going to have problems, and you’ve got to solve the problems and you have to weed out the problems. But the police in this country are absolutely amazing people.
The New York real estate mogul appears to be tone-deaf to the outcry of America in regards to both excessive force and corruption among local and state police.
In Miami last week, a representative for the Fraternal Order of Police released the personal phone number and bikini pictures of a citizen who boldly “pulled over” a cop for speeding.
Small incidents aside, millions of NetFlix subscribers are up in arms over the clear and deliberate cases of law enforcement corruption in Wisconsin, highlighted by the series, “Making a Murderer.”
In Cleveland, police officer Michael Brelo was acquitted of murder charges after he went full-Rambo on an unarmed couple. Brelo was one of a gaggle of cops who chased and fired on a car that had an engine backfire. Brelo took it to the extreme, and after the car was stopped, jumped on the hood of the vehicle and unloaded on the couple, killing them both. The Rambo cop was fired, but will serve no time for the murders.
While angst toward Law Enforcement is growing each day, especially in the black community, the police are not doing themselves any favors by regularly crossing the Thin Blue Line with no repercussions.
While Trump may lead with an echoing, “Cops are great,” the billionaire clearly has not taken a deep look into the self-righteousness with which which Law Enforcement operates.
Without a Commander-in-Chief who is able to reign in police abuses and corruption through the use of the investigation powers of the Justice Department, cops around the nation will jump from offense to defense, which will put the lives and freedom of Americans at risk at any moment.
While Trump is clearly the answer to many voters who oppose the establishment, even those who support the candidate are pushing for a view from Trump that is not jaded by his love of cops.