After an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump revealed he watched some parts of the footage of George Floyd's arrest and subsequent death.
Too much to watch
During the phone interview with Sean Hannity, Trump stated that there was nothing to be said of Floyd's case after he watched it. The president added that the length of the video made it difficult to watch it fully and the events could not get any worse than how they were, as reported by CBS News.
The footage shows police officers taking Floyd into custody for reports of an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill. One of the officers, Derek Chauvin, could be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly ten minutes even after the black man laid on the ground motionless.
As the restraint took place, Floyd is heard screaming that he could not breathe, but none of the officers, Chauvin included, responded to his requests and calls for help.
The video that a witness at the scene captured set off international protests calling out racial injustice and police brutality. The four officers involved in the arrest of Floyd have been arrested and charged with murder after the events of the incident.
In the interview, Trump condemned Chauvin and saying the officer had significant problems that led him to do what he did. He added that he just left a large group of top sheriffs and law enforcement and no one was supporting his actions.
According to The Hill, Trump revealed he struggled to watch the entirety of the Floyd video due to its brutality.
Also Read: Trump to Sign Policing Reform Executive Order to Give Financial Incentives, Not Defund Police
Differing opinion
When asked with his opinion on Rayshard Brooks, however, Trump shared a different perspective. Brooks was stopped by officers for an alleged DUI and after the escalation of the incident, was shot by police in the back.
Trump said that you should never resist an arrest and take up the issue after the fact. He added the event was an unfortunate moment. The officer that killed Brooks, Garrett Rolfe, had been fired and charged with murder.
The US president also noted a statement from Rolfe's lawyers that wrote the former officer shot the victim after he heard a sound similar to a gunshot and saw a flash of light. Trump added he would not necessarily believe the statement but admitted it was a fascinating idea.
"It's going to be up to justice," Trump said, and he hopes the victim gets the justice he deserves along with the police officers as he noted that law enforcement personnel had not been treated fairly in the United States.
This week, Trump signed an executive order which would provide incentives to officers to urge more training and the creation of a national database of police officers who behave out of code and act with misconduct.
Congressional Democrats, along with police reform activists, state the order lacks the needed policies that protesters demand to correct the actions that result from system racism in the law enforcement sector.
