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Trump says police chokeholds 'sound so innocent and so perfect' in bizarre TV interview

Trump says police chokeholds 'sound so innocent and so perfect' in bizarre TV interview

The death of George Floyd has seared the words “I can’t breathe” into our minds forever.

Following Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers, the debate over how best to tackle the problem of police brutality continues.

Trump spoke on the topic of police chokeholds in an interview with Fox News.

The president said he doesn’t “like” police chokeholds, but later said be believed chokeholds to be theoretically acceptable, though he acknowledged they are often used inappropriately by police.

He said:

I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent and so perfect.

But added:

You have to be careful. With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended.

The remarks followed action by a number of US cities and states towards banning police chokeholds. In the latest such move, the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Friday morning to ban chokeholds in the state.

During the TV interview, Trump called the riotting "unnecessary" and compared himself to Abraham Lincoln, the president who ended slavery.

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