President Trump’s reelection campaign touted his executive order on police reform this week, saying the effort proves Trump’s leadership as the nation is rocked by protests over systemic racism and police brutality.
“As we start to emerge, as we start to see the country reopening, as we see not only the president’s executive order but also the action on Capitol Hill taking place, I think a lot of those opinions will change because they actually see that the president’s leadership is working,” Trump campaign spokesperson Marc Lotter said Wednesday on Hill.TV’s “Rising” when asked about poll numbers showing voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the unrest.
Trump rolled out his executive order at the White House Tuesday. The order prioritizes federal funding for police departments that embrace de-escalation tactics, including a ban on chokeholds outside of instances where an officer’s life is in danger, and improves the government’s ability to track officers with a history of excessive force complaints. It also encourages deeper collaboration between police officers and social workers.
Democrats panned the executive order, saying it does not go far enough and pointing to their own plan that is much broader and includes allowing people to sue individual officers for excessive use of force, among other things.
The issue of police brutality was thrust into the spotlight after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis.
You can watch more of Lotter’s interview above.
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