Donald Trump Says The ‘Concept Of Chokeholds Sounds So Innocent, So Perfect’

During a pre-recorded interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner that aired on Friday, President Donald Trump addressed the use of chokeholds by police officers, which have reportedly led to countless deaths across America over the years, Raw Story reported.

“I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent, so perfect, and then you realize if it’s a one-on-one,” Trump said.

“Now if it’s a two-on-one that’s a little bit of a different story, depending – depending on the toughness and strength, you know we’re talking about toughness and strength, we are talking there’s a physical thing here also.”

Faulkner later pressed Trump on the use of chokeholds during one-on-one situations, to which the president appeared to concede the practice should be ended.

“Yeah – and that does happen, that does happen,” Trump said.

“So you have to be careful. With that being said, it would be, I think, very good thing that generally speaking, it should be ended.”

As reported by The Hill, Trump claimed that the federal government could provide recommendations on the use of chokeholds, but said many cases would likely fall into the hands of local jurisdictions.

"Sometimes if you're alone and you're fighting somebody, it's tough … we have some real bad people" — Trump defends police chokeholds pic.twitter.com/DZfjT5isFU

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 12, 2020

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump said the protests of George Floyd’s death at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin — which he called “riots” — are “unnecessary.” Floyd died after Chauvin pressed his knee onto his neck for over eight minutes, which sparked outcry and called for police reform.

The president’s interview comes just one day after he revealed during a roundtable that he’s finalizing an executive order that will encourage police officers to engage in compassionate use of force. As The Inquisitr reported, Trump also pushed back on calls to reduce funding from police departments across the United States.

The Fox News interview also comes after Democrat lawmakers unveiled a sweeping police reform bill, which would ban chokeholds at the federal level. Republican lawmakers in the Senate are penning their own police reform bill, although it’s unclear whether it will address chokeholds

As reported by Charlotte Observer, Floyd’s death has highlighted the scrutiny of police chokeholds that has been taking place around the world. For example, French lawmaker Francois Ruffin has called for a ban on face-down holds in police departments, which have allegedly been linked to multiple deaths in France. In Hong Kong, the city police force is currently investigating the death of a man who was held face-down while being immobilized by officers who kneeled on his back, shoulder, and neck.

Regulations around chokeholds and other immobilization techniques vary depending on the country, as noted by The Charlotte Observer.