ACLU Statement on President Trump’s Dismissal of the Disproportionate Police Killings of Black People

WASHINGTON — When asked in an interview today why Black Americans are “still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country,” President Donald Trump responded:

“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 at the White House. “More people, by the way. More white people.”

Jeffery Robinson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Trone Center for Justice and Equality, highlighted the dangerous and racist implications of the president’s comments in the following statement:

“President Trump once again showed that he and his administration will continue to ignore the racial terror campaigns that law enforcement wage daily in Black and Brown communities. His statement not only ignores the fact that per capita Black and Brown people are disproportionately killed by police, it provides the foundation for the dangerous and unconstitutional police practices that result in the deaths of Black people with regularity.

“Trump’s racism is so absolute that he continues to refuse to give even a tacit acknowledgment to the epidemic of police violence against Black people in America. His claims that asking about police killing Black people is a terrible question are rooted in his inability to discuss race and policing without sounding bigoted and foolish. This type of behavior isn’t new, rather just affirmation that President Trump is a bigot with no problem with the level of police violence against Black communities. It’s clear that the President of the United States will continue to use the violence and suffering perpetrated against Black communities as a white-supremacist dog whistle ahead of the coming election.”