President Donald Trump responded Tuesday to a question about Black people dying at the hands of police by saying “more white people” are killed as a result of police violence than Black people.
Catherine Herridge of CBS News questioned Trump about the death of George Floyd and then asked, “Why are African Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?”
“So are white people,” he shot back. “So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people — more white people, by the way. More white people,” he said emphatically.
In a write-up of the interview posted Tuesday afternoon, CBS News pointed out that a “study published in 2018 found that Black men are roughly 3.5 times more likely to be killed by law enforcement than White men. Another study released in 2019 found that one in 1,000 Black men in the U.S. can expect to die at the hands of police over the course of their lifetimes.”
While more white people were killed in one study, CBS News added, white people make up more of the population than Black people and Black people were still found to be more likely to be killed by police.
In interview with @realDonaldTrump, @CBS_Herridge asked the president why he thinks African Americans are still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country. His answer is revealing. See more on @cbseveningnews and @cbsthismorning. pic.twitter.com/6VQFpqB8AT
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) July 14, 2020