Donald Trump suggests ‘one rough hour’ of policing will end theft
COLUMBIA, S.C. — COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Donald Trump has suggested that “one hard hour” of law enforcement action could reduce shoplifting, echoing his long-standing support for more aggressive and potentially violent policing.
“In a heavy hour – and I mean really heavy – the word will get out and it will end immediately, you know? It will end immediately,” Trump said Sunday in Erie, Pa.
Trump has ramped up his rhetoric just over a month before Election Day, describe immigrants illegal in the US because criminals intend to harm native Americans and suggest crime has skyrocketed despite show national statistics the opposite. The former president has a long history of encouraging rough treatment of people in police custody saying law enforcement should be exempt from potential punishment.
Three weeks ago, like the Fraternal Order of Police supported him at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump pledged unyielding support for police, including extensive use of force: “We need to get back to power and respect.”
At his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in August, Trump linked the suggestion of increased law enforcement activity to the deportation of immigrants. He advocated ensuring that officers “have immunity from prosecution because, frankly, our police are being treated terribly. They are not allowed to do their work.”
Trump was president during the racial justice protests that emerged in the summer of 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He posted during the protests: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” At that time he signed an executive order encouraging better police practices, but that has been criticized by some for not recognizing what they see as systemic racial bias in policing.
During the day a 2017 speech in New Yorkthe then-president appeared to advocate for harsher treatment of people in police custody, speaking dismissively of the police practice of shielding the heads of handcuffed suspects while they are placed in patrol cars. In response, the Suffolk County Police Department said it has strict rules and procedures on how to handle inmates. Violations of this ‘will be treated extremely seriously’.
On Sunday, the former president and current Republican presidential candidate in Pennsylvania had spoken about a measure approved by California voters when his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harriswas attorney general. Trump has claimed that the provision – making the theft of goods at or below that level a misdemeanor rather than a misdemeanor – allows shoplifting of up to $950 worth of merchandise without consequences.
Asked whether his comments amounted to a policy proposal on Sunday, Trump’s campaign said he “has always been the president of law and order and continues to reiterate the importance of enforcing existing laws.” Spokesman Steven Cheung further warned of “total anarchy” if Harris is elected, citing her time as California’s top prosecutor.
Harris’ campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Trump’s comments. Democrats have long noticed this dozens of police officers were injured on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to overturn his loss to current President Joe Biden.
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Meg Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.