Trump's 'pro-law enforcement' image crumbles in his final days - CNNPolitics - 0 views
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Politics US Trump crisis Culture policy gop riot attack violence self-image
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A President who has repeatedly touted himself as pro-law enforcement is now being accused of fueling a growing threat of extremists that has law enforcement officials across the nation on high alert.
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As the presidency of Donald Trump draws to an end, the recent Trump-inspired attacks on law enforcement officers, his refusal to take the steps necessary to defuse violent elements of his base and the President's years-long assault on agencies such as the FBI and Justice Department, are all casting serious doubt on the sincerity of his self-described support for those who wear the badge.
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Among the five people who died in the attack was a US Capitol Police officer who had been attempting to defend the building. Eyewitness video from the insurgence shows numerous rioters assaulting law enforcement officers, including gruesome images of a Metropolitan Police Department officer being crushed in a doorway as he screamed in agony.
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The President later released a stronger video denouncing the incident, but sources told CNN that Trump later appeared to regret making the video.
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Although Trump has enjoyed widespread support from police unions in the run up to the 2020 election, even law enforcement organizations that endorsed him for reelection -- such as the powerful Fraternal Order of Police -- were appalled at the Trump-fueled January 6 attack on the Capitol.
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In a strongly worded statement imploring the President to speak out against the Capitol violence, the group said, "the images coming in from the United State Capitol Building today are heartbreaking to every American. We call on President Trump to forcefully urge these demonstrators to stop their unlawful activity, to stand down, and to disperse."
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With less than a week remaining as president, Trump's ceaseless false claims of mass voter fraud continue to threaten and make life more difficult for law enforcement in America.
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"When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon. You see them thrown in rough," Trump said, adding, "Please don't be too nice."
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The Gainesville, Florida, police department said Trump had "no business endorsing or condoning cops being rough with arrestees and suggesting that we should slam their heads onto the car while putting them in." The department added that Trump's remarks "set modern policing back and erased a lot of the strides we have made to build trust in our community."
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Trump's caustic comments about the investigators working to uncover Russian influence stood at odds with his attempted "pro-law enforcement" image, as did comments made by the President's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, when he compared career FBI agents to murderous Nazis.
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While addressing a group of police officers early in his presidency, Trump encouraged those in attendance to be "rough" with suspects.
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As the nation prepares to inaugurate Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, federal law enforcement agencies have transformed the nation's capital into a veritable fortress -- fearful that pro-Trump supporters could stage an attack along the lines of the Trump-inspired violent insurgence at the US Capitol on January 6.