President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that “more white people” are dying at the hands of police than Black Americans, further stoking racial tensions and divisions in the country.
During a CBS News interview, Mr Trump was asked why Black people were still dying as a result of police brutality, to which he replied: “And so are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people by the way.”
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2018 found that African Americans are 3.5 times as likely to be killed by police compared to white people.
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Mr Trump was asked about the issue in an interview with CBS News’ Catherine Herridge.
She began: “Let’s talk about George Floyd, you said George Floyd’s death was a terrible thing.”
“Terrible,” the president said.
Ms Herridge then asked: “Why are African Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement?”
To which Mr Trump replied: “And 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.”
According to a Washington Post analysis updated on Monday, half of people killed by police are white, but Black Americans are shot at a disproportionate rate. They account for less than 13 percent of the US population but are killed by police at over twice the rate of white Americans, the newspaper analysis found.
The May 25 death of African-American George Floyd sparked protests across the US and has led to an increased focus on police violence against Black people.
