Trump says no to defunding of the police department [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The president condemns the call of some protesters and Democrats to defund the police, saying it’s unlawful.
• Despite the defunding the police initiative, Trump assured the law enforcement authorities that he would not allow it to happen.
• The call came after the death of George Floyd who died while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers.

On Monday, President Donald Trump and his allies criticized Democrats and protesters for their disbanding the police call, which aimed to attack the administration’s support of the law enforcement amidst demonstrations nationwide.

The Trump administration pursued to link Democrats in supporting the movement to defund the police, which has gained popularity over social media and some rallies following the killing of George Floyd on May 25.

During a conference attended by law enforcement chiefs and officers at the White House, Trump said that there would be no defunding nor dissolution of the police.

In an earlier briefing, Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told journalists that the president is disgusted with defunding the police efforts by some groups. She cited announcements made by the mayors of New York City and Los Angeles that said threatens to cut the law enforcement fundings.

The secretary added the call would mean hindering the operations of the police departments if not, dissolving them entirely, and the president was against it.

In the past 48 hours, Trump has capitalized on the topic attempting to display himself as the candidate, which promotes law and order.

Trump said via Twitter on Sunday that while Joe Biden and the Democrats, which the president called the radical left, wanted to defund the police, he prefers law and order.

Defunding the police was one of the common themes of nationwide protests since the last weeks, with activists saying they prefer the police departments’ budget lessened and diverted the funds instead to essential services such as inexpensive housing and mental wellness.

Some legislators and community leaders call for the dissolution of police departments and revamp the enforcement system.

In Minneapolis, where white police were arrested over the killing of Floyd, council members vowed to dissolve the police department and replace it with a new set up.

Trump, who has been criticized for weeks about how he handles Floyd’s case, found an opportunity to attack Democrats because of the movement calling for defunding of the police.

Also, McEnany compared the recent push to the abolish Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) call in 2018, which numerous Democrats supported in an attempt to cut the funding for the department amidst the administration’s zero-tolerance program that resulted to the separation of migrant households. While the push then was recommended by some top Democrats, it was not supported by most in the party.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden is not in favor of defunding the police, as confirmed by his campaign spokesperson on Monday.

Several Democrats also dissociated themselves from the movement, saying they prefer either restructuring the current policies or leaving the budgeting decision to local executives.

Source: The Hill