Trump declares ‘violent day’ of policing will eradicate crime
The former president's campaign clarified that the statements made during a campaign rally on Sunday did not constitute a policy proposal endorsing police retaliation.
TroibNews 
Former President Donald Trump, at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, urged for a “one real rough, nasty” and “violent day” of police action to swiftly combat crime. This statement was made just 36 days prior to the upcoming election.
According to a Trump campaign official, these remarks do not represent a new policy proposal. Trump stated, “One rough hour — and I mean real rough — the word will get out and it will end immediately, you know? It will end immediately.”
When asked whether Trump’s comments should be interpreted as a new strategy and how it would be implemented, a campaign official noted that he was “clearly just floating it in jest.” Steven Cheung, the campaign's communications director, added in a PMG statement, “President Trump has always been the law and order President and he continues to reiterate the importance of enforcing existing laws... Otherwise it’s all-out anarchy, which is what Kamala Harris has created in some of these communities across America, especially during her time as [California] Attorney General when she emboldened criminals.”
Earlier this year, Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 felony counts for attempting to conceal hush money payments to an adult film star.
During his speech, Trump inaccurately claimed that individuals could steal up to $950 in goods without facing penalties in California, referencing Proposition 47. This initiative reclassified certain theft offenses as misdemeanors. While Kamala Harris was serving as California's attorney general at the time voters approved the measure, she took a neutral stance on it. It's worth noting that the dollar threshold Trump mentioned had actually been established four years earlier, signed into law by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.
Recent FBI statistics indicate that property crime has fallen by 2.4 percent nationwide over the past year.
Trump has previously shown support for aggressive police responses, stating that the police reaction to the unrest sparked by George Floyd’s murder in 2020 was “a beautiful thing to watch.” In a 2017 speech, he remarked, “When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough. I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice.’”
Harris’ campaign shared Trump’s comments on social media but did not provide further commentary.
Megan Messerly contributed to this report.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
According to a Trump campaign official, these remarks do not represent a new policy proposal. Trump stated, “One rough hour — and I mean real rough — the word will get out and it will end immediately, you know? It will end immediately.”
When asked whether Trump’s comments should be interpreted as a new strategy and how it would be implemented, a campaign official noted that he was “clearly just floating it in jest.” Steven Cheung, the campaign's communications director, added in a PMG statement, “President Trump has always been the law and order President and he continues to reiterate the importance of enforcing existing laws... Otherwise it’s all-out anarchy, which is what Kamala Harris has created in some of these communities across America, especially during her time as [California] Attorney General when she emboldened criminals.”
Earlier this year, Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 felony counts for attempting to conceal hush money payments to an adult film star.
During his speech, Trump inaccurately claimed that individuals could steal up to $950 in goods without facing penalties in California, referencing Proposition 47. This initiative reclassified certain theft offenses as misdemeanors. While Kamala Harris was serving as California's attorney general at the time voters approved the measure, she took a neutral stance on it. It's worth noting that the dollar threshold Trump mentioned had actually been established four years earlier, signed into law by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.
Recent FBI statistics indicate that property crime has fallen by 2.4 percent nationwide over the past year.
Trump has previously shown support for aggressive police responses, stating that the police reaction to the unrest sparked by George Floyd’s murder in 2020 was “a beautiful thing to watch.” In a 2017 speech, he remarked, “When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough. I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice.’”
Harris’ campaign shared Trump’s comments on social media but did not provide further commentary.
Megan Messerly contributed to this report.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News
