The Washington Post
Fox News host educates Trump on violent origins of ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ phrase
Allyson Chiu 3 hrs ago
The Washington Post :Fox News host educates Trump on violent origins of ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ phrase
Sitting across from President Trump on Thursday in a one-on-one interview about the unrest over racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, Fox News host Harris Faulkner shifted the conversation to Trump’s tweets.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020.
“You look at me, and I’m Harris on TV, but I’m a black woman. I’m a mom,” Faulkner told Trump. “You’ve talked about it, but we haven’t seen you come out and be that consoler in this instance.
“And the tweets, when the looting starts the shooting starts,” she continued, referencing Trump’s widely criticized response to the Minneapolis protests last month, which many interpreted to be a racist threat of violence. Faulkner then paused, briefly averting her eyes before looking back at Trump.
“Why those words?” she asked.
The question sparked a remarkable exchange between Trump and Faulkner, in which the host pressed the president about his tweet — a post she later described as “incendiary” — and pointedly educated him on the violent origins of the language he chose to parrot. It was the first time Trump had been questioned about the inflammatory tweet in a televised interview on a major network, and clips of the segment swiftly went viral Thursday night.
Faulkner sat down with Trump in Dallas on Thursday, shortly after he wrapped up a roundtable on policing and race where he praised the forceful tactics used by authorities against protesters in Minneapolis. In portions of the interview broadcast on Fox News Thursday evening, the pair discussed Trump’s response to the protests as well as anti-police sentiment and the ongoing demonstrations in Seattle, which the president and conservatives have railed against in recent days. The full interview is scheduled to air Friday afternoon.
When Faulkner brought up Trump’s May 29 tweet, zeroing in on the “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” quote, the president had an explanation ready.
“So, that’s an expression I’ve heard over the years,” he started to say, prompting Faulkner to interject, “Do you know where it comes from?”
Trump paused.
“Um, I think Philadelphia,” he said. “The mayor of Philadelphia.”
“No,” Faulkner interrupted, cutting the president off again. “It comes from 1967.”
Miami Police Chief Walter Headley, who held a news conference in 1967 “declaring war” on criminals as armed robberies and unrest consumed black neighborhoods in the city. Headley warned at the time that officers would use shotguns and dogs, adding, “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality.”
“I’ve let the word filter down that when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Headley said.
Since Trump had included Headley’s quote in tweets threatening to deploy the military to Minneapolis in response to reports of looting and other acts of violence, many accused the president of suggesting that soldiers should use deadly force against citizens. Trump’s tweet and a post from the White House repeating his comments were both flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence,” leading the social media company to take the unprecedented step of limiting the public’s ability to view and share the tweets.
Trump has since defended himself, tweeting that his use of the expression was misinterpreted.
After Faulkner’s history lesson about Trump’s turn of phrase, which she told the president had “frightened a lot of people,” Trump continued to insist that he had heard former Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo say something similar.
“He had an expression like that,” Trump said, referring to Rizzo as “a very tough mayor.” “But I’ve heard it many times. … I think it’s been used many times.”
Rizzo, who died in 1991, earned a reputation at the time as being tough on crime, but has long been criticized for his treatment of Philadelphia’s black and gay communities. Earlier this month, after being repeatedly targeted and defaced by protesters, a statue of Rizzo was removed by the city with Mayor Jim Kenney (D) calling it “a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others.”
As The Washington Post’s Michael S. Rosenwald reported, Headley’s words have been repeated by other public figures throughout the years, including former Alabama governor and 1968 presidential candidate George Wallace, who said on the campaign trail. But it is unclear if Rizzo ever uttered the phrase and Trump did not provide evidence for his claim Thursday.
Meanwhile, Trump also doubled down on his defense that the phrase.
Fox News host educates Trump on violent origins of ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ phrase
Allyson Chiu 3 hrs ago
The Washington Post :Fox News host educates Trump on violent origins of ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ phrase
Sitting across from President Trump on Thursday in a one-on-one interview about the unrest over racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, Fox News host Harris Faulkner shifted the conversation to Trump’s tweets.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a roundtable discussion with members of the faith community, law enforcement and small business at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, U.S., June 11, 2020.
“You look at me, and I’m Harris on TV, but I’m a black woman. I’m a mom,” Faulkner told Trump. “You’ve talked about it, but we haven’t seen you come out and be that consoler in this instance.
“And the tweets, when the looting starts the shooting starts,” she continued, referencing Trump’s widely criticized response to the Minneapolis protests last month, which many interpreted to be a racist threat of violence. Faulkner then paused, briefly averting her eyes before looking back at Trump.
“Why those words?” she asked.
The question sparked a remarkable exchange between Trump and Faulkner, in which the host pressed the president about his tweet — a post she later described as “incendiary” — and pointedly educated him on the violent origins of the language he chose to parrot. It was the first time Trump had been questioned about the inflammatory tweet in a televised interview on a major network, and clips of the segment swiftly went viral Thursday night.
Faulkner sat down with Trump in Dallas on Thursday, shortly after he wrapped up a roundtable on policing and race where he praised the forceful tactics used by authorities against protesters in Minneapolis. In portions of the interview broadcast on Fox News Thursday evening, the pair discussed Trump’s response to the protests as well as anti-police sentiment and the ongoing demonstrations in Seattle, which the president and conservatives have railed against in recent days. The full interview is scheduled to air Friday afternoon.
When Faulkner brought up Trump’s May 29 tweet, zeroing in on the “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” quote, the president had an explanation ready.
“So, that’s an expression I’ve heard over the years,” he started to say, prompting Faulkner to interject, “Do you know where it comes from?”
Trump paused.
“Um, I think Philadelphia,” he said. “The mayor of Philadelphia.”
“No,” Faulkner interrupted, cutting the president off again. “It comes from 1967.”
Miami Police Chief Walter Headley, who held a news conference in 1967 “declaring war” on criminals as armed robberies and unrest consumed black neighborhoods in the city. Headley warned at the time that officers would use shotguns and dogs, adding, “We don’t mind being accused of police brutality.”
“I’ve let the word filter down that when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Headley said.
Since Trump had included Headley’s quote in tweets threatening to deploy the military to Minneapolis in response to reports of looting and other acts of violence, many accused the president of suggesting that soldiers should use deadly force against citizens. Trump’s tweet and a post from the White House repeating his comments were both flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence,” leading the social media company to take the unprecedented step of limiting the public’s ability to view and share the tweets.
Trump has since defended himself, tweeting that his use of the expression was misinterpreted.
After Faulkner’s history lesson about Trump’s turn of phrase, which she told the president had “frightened a lot of people,” Trump continued to insist that he had heard former Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo say something similar.
“He had an expression like that,” Trump said, referring to Rizzo as “a very tough mayor.” “But I’ve heard it many times. … I think it’s been used many times.”
Rizzo, who died in 1991, earned a reputation at the time as being tough on crime, but has long been criticized for his treatment of Philadelphia’s black and gay communities. Earlier this month, after being repeatedly targeted and defaced by protesters, a statue of Rizzo was removed by the city with Mayor Jim Kenney (D) calling it “a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others.”
As The Washington Post’s Michael S. Rosenwald reported, Headley’s words have been repeated by other public figures throughout the years, including former Alabama governor and 1968 presidential candidate George Wallace, who said on the campaign trail. But it is unclear if Rizzo ever uttered the phrase and Trump did not provide evidence for his claim Thursday.
Meanwhile, Trump also doubled down on his defense that the phrase.
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