COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday mentioned the footage of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by 5 Memphis law enforcement officials is “horrible” and that the assault “by no means ought to have occurred.”
“I believed it was horrible. He was in such hassle. He was simply being pummeled. Now that ought to by no means have occurred,” Trump mentioned in an interview with The Related Press on Saturday, a day after authorities launched footage of the assault on the 29-year-old Black man after a site visitors cease. Nichols died three days later.
The feedback have been notable for Trump, who’s working for the White Home once more and has a historical past of encouraging tough therapy of individuals in police custody. He was president throughout the racial justice protests that emerged in the summertime of 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. On the time, he signed an govt order encouraging higher police practices however has been criticized by some for failing to acknowledge what they take into account systemic racial bias in policing.
Trump finally centered his 2020 reelection bid round a “regulation and order” message that emphasised help for regulation enforcement.
The newly launched violent video in Memphis exhibits police holding down and beating Nichols for 3 minutes with their fists, boots and batons. The footage exhibits police screaming profanities at him whereas Nichols screams for his mom. Trump mentioned Nichols calling out for his mom was “a really unhappy second.”
“That was actually the purpose that bought me essentially the most, to be trustworthy with you,” he mentioned.
Trump didn’t tackle the video in his marketing campaign speeches in New Hampshire or South Carolina, the primary stops of his 2024 presidential marketing campaign.
The 5 former Memphis Police Division officers, who’re additionally Black, have been fired and charged with homicide and different crimes. The authorized staff for Nichols’ household has likened it to the notorious 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.
Trump mentioned Memphis Police have been taking a “robust step” by disbanding the police unit concerned within the assault, which was created to focus on violent offenders in areas beset by excessive crime.
“Look, the tape was maybe not completely conclusive however, to me, it was fairly conclusive and it was vicious and violent and onerous to consider — over a site visitors violation,” he mentioned.
