Despite his acceptance of police cultivating a “law and order” image, former President Donald Trump criticized police behavior in high-profile cases involving black citizens in private comments to Bill Barr, the former attorney general claims in his new book.
Trump privately weighed in on several of those cases, including the high-profile police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, saying the video looked “pretty bad.”
“If all you know about Donald Trump is a media caricature of him, you can assume that he will automatically side with the police and callously ignore the use of excessive force. It was not his reaction,” Barr writes in his book One Damn Thing After Another.
Barr describes an “angry” call from Trump following the 2020 killing of Floyd. “What the hell were those cops thinking?” Trump told him, Barr writes. “I couldn’t watch it all. It was terrible,” he said.
Trump wanted to make sure the Justice Department was actively looking into the matter, Barr writes.
Former President Donald Trump called AG Bill Barr after watching videos of the killing of George Floyd and other high-profile cases.
Trump also tweeted about the investigation into Floyd’s death, which he called “very sad and tragic.”
Trump also spoke out after the Justice Department decided not to file criminal charges against NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo v. Eric Garner in New York City in 2019.
Garner’s “I can’t breathe” plea during his arrest became a national rallying cry after he died after being arrested for selling cigarettes illegally.
‘Really?’ Barr said that was Trump’s response when he was told the feds would not press charges.
Barr writes, “I’ve seen the footage on TV several times,” he said, shaking his head and looking puzzled. “It looked pretty bad to me.”
Eric Garner died during an arrest in Staten Island. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office attributed Garner’s death to a combination of a chokehold, chest compressions, and ill health.
Trump commented on the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police
Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Georgia
“I grew up in Queens. I know some cops can be bullies,” Trump said, describing the case of Eric Garner.
Trump cultivated an image of law and order in the office
In this June 1, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump walks through Lafayette Park to visit St. John’s Church across from the White House in Washington.
When Barr, who grew up near the Columbia University campus in Manhattan, tried to explain himself, his New York colleague Trump intervened.
“I grew up in Queens. I know some cops can be bullies. You’re from New York – you know. These cops wanted to fight this guy just for selling cigarettes? Did they approach him?
Trump “hated the idea of a bully pushing people around,” writes Barr, taking on Trump’s reputation for belittling people the former president calls “losers.”
An “excited” Trump also called his attorney general after releasing footage of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was run over by three white stalkers while jogging in Brunswick, Georgia. All three were later convicted of murder.
Trump “saw the video” and told Barr, “This is very ugly! It’s unbelievable that they shot this guy. He seemed like a good guy. And some people say there might have been some cover-up in the beginning. I want to make sure you are aware of all this,” he said to the top law enforcement official in the country.
Barr says Trump continued to discuss the matter with him for several months.
Barr’s passage about Trump championing high-profile issues of racial justice came at a time when Trump was also projecting a “law and order” image by appearing with law enforcement.
He walked with Barr through Lafayette Park across from the White House amid protests following the killing of Floyd after authorities used chemical irritants to clean up the park.
Trump appeared with law enforcement on Long Island in 2017, where he talked about “those thugs thrown in the back of a paddy wagon” and urged cops to be rough with suspects.
“When you guys put someone in the car and protect their head, you know how you put your hand on him?” Trump then said. “Like, don’t hit them on the head, and they just killed someone — don’t hit them on the head,” Trump said. “I said you can take your hand away, okay?
The excerpts are taken from a book where Barr describes Trump sparring with his team over clashes in Portland, where Barr feared that a show of federal force might be portrayed in the media as “fascist aggression.”
“No one supports!” Trump exclaimed, standing up. “No one gives me any fucking support!” he protested, according to Barr.
Barr also uses his book to debunk Trump’s allegations of election fraud in detail, including the “baseless” claim about a truck full of ballots in Detroit and the Trump team’s “grossly irresponsible claims” about Dominion voting machines. He called Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s infamous press conference a “grotesque embarrassment.”
Trump also “talked stupidly about ‘millions’ of illegal immigrants voting and failing Democratic elections” before and after the election, Barr writes.