Trump spreads new conspiracy theories in interview [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump floated conspiracy theories and attacked Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters during his exclusive interview with Fox News on Monday.
• Trump praised his supporters who clashed with BLM demonstrators, describing them as “wonderful, hardworking, tremendous” people.
• The president was blaming his presidential rival Democratic nominee Joe Biden and the Democratic officials for the ongoing unrest in cities nationwide.

During his exclusive interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday, President Donald Trump talked about several conspiracy theories and took offense against Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters while praising his supporters’ rally.

Asked whether his supporters should go up against BLM demonstrators on the streets as what had happened in some cities, the president said that it’s the law enforcement officers’ prerogative. 

Trump then described his followers as “wonderful, hardworking, tremendous,” arguing they were appalled by the riots.

“You know it’s amazing, they want to protest, and they get criticized,” Trump said. “The other people run through the streets, burn down storefronts, hurt people, beat people, and kill people.”

During the interview, Trump also floated a baseless claim of people working in the “dark shadows” for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. 

“There are people that are on the streets,” Trump said. “There are people that are controlling the streets.”

Without providing further details or proof, Trump shared that over the weekend, there was a secret plot of destroying a plane.

“We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that,” he said.

Trump said that the police were “under siege” when they fired against Blake. He also claimed without evidence that Portland was experiencing violence for decades, saying that demonstrators wanted Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler dead. Trump also continued to attribute the ongoing unrest in Portland, Kenosha, and other cities in the US to Biden and Democratic authorities.

In Portland city, Oregon, where violent rallies continue to bring turmoil since the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, pro-Trump people made a caravan composed of over 600 vehicles that roamed across the city last weekend. 

Videos posted online showed that Trump supporters were shooting paintball guns and using pepper spray against BLM demonstrators. An individual, who was believed to be a member of a right-wing group Patriot Prayer, was killed in a shooting during the Saturday’s clash.

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, protests were also held over the brutal shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23. Blake, a Black man who obtained seven gunshots from police, became paralyzed.

After three days, two demonstrators were killed, while one got wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, a white man, and a Trump supporter. He is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide as an adult.

During a White House press conference on Monday, Trump backed Rittenhouse and did not condemn his supporters’ demeanor, saying that their paintball guns were for defense. 

Source: AOL.com