Trump not to Defund the Police amid increasing protests across the United States

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US President Donald Trump has discarded a move among some activists and Democratic legislators to ‘Defund the Police’, following the death of George Floyd in police custody. He delivered his words during a meeting at the White House with law enforcement officials. President said, “There won’t be de-funding. There won’t be dismantling of our police. And there is not going to be any disbanding of our police”. Trump didn’t cite any law that might give him the authority to override a decision by a mayor, governor, city council, or state legislature. The comments of Donald Trump came after some senior House and Senate Democrats opted against condemning some of the political left calling for police departments to either be stripped of funding or abolished.

Point to be noted that leaders of the move (defund the police) have spent most of the time to explain they need to decrease police funding and direct those monies to social programs to help troubled young people. But, the name those activists chose for the movement has given Trump and his team ample kindling to try starting a political fire to fire up his conservative base. The Minneapolis city council has approved a measure to dismantle its police department after a black man George Floyd was killed by a white officer. The former vice president Joe Biden issued a statement and opposed cutting police funding as he and Trump vie for crucial voting blocs like suburban women.

The Speaker of US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has tried to explain the movement. She said it is about how taxpayer funds are spent and changing policies to make sure our policing is juster. But those are local decisions”. The US Attorney General William Barr also delivered his words during the same event. He said he has talked to law enforcement officials who want clarification on standards under which their officers should use force. There were several polls conducted and a majority of Americans have criticized and rejected Trump’s thinking to Floyd’s death, so it subsequently sparked protests around the country.