During a recent interview with CBS's Catherine Herridge, President Trump was asked "why are African Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?"
President Trump took offense to the question, replying:
"So are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people."
While President Trump is technically correct, this oft-cited statistic is incredibly misleading and often used by individuals arguing in bad faith to discredit anti-racism movements.
Though more White people are killed annually by police, studies show this is simply because there are so many more White people than Black people in the United States.
Black people are killed by police at a highly disproportionate rate.
While unnecessary police violence is a universal concern, it affects Black Americans far more than it does White Americans.
A Black person interacting with a police officer is far more likely to be hurt or killed.
Trump's answer to Herridge's question was only meant to distract from anti-racism movements seeking police reform.
If the President was truly concerned about police violence against any race (even White people), he would surely be taking action of some kind. That is not the case.
While polls have shown Americans stand behind the protests calling for an end to police violence, the President went out of his way to distance himself from progress in that same interview.
Most Americans on Twitter didn't trust their own President to understand the basic concepts of math needed to grasp this problem.
While the President argues with reporters, the problem of police violence in America remains unsolved.
And as long as he is President, Donald Trump has made it clear he has no intention of changing that.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
