The president is heading on Tuesday to Kenosha, the scene of unrest after police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back, leaving him paralyzed. Mr. Trump has no plans to meet with Mr. Blake’s family, saying he tried to call but decided not to speak with the relatives when they asked for a lawyer to be on the line.
Instead, he will tour areas damaged by street violence and then meet with law enforcement officers and others at a local high school. The city’s mayor and Wisconsin’s governor, both Democrats, asked Mr. Trump not to come for fear that he would inflame the situation rather than calm it down.
During his interview with Ms. Ingraham, the president defended police officers who have been accused of using excessive force, particularly against Black men. Mr. Trump compared such shootings to missing a putt on a golf course.
“The police are under siege because of things — they can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple — or a choker — you know, a choker. They choke. Shooting the guy,” he said.
“Meaning they can’t — ” Ms. Ingraham prodded.
Mr. Trump continued: “Shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him? You know, I mean, in the meantime, he might have been going for a weapon, and, you know, there’s a whole big thing there, but they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt.
Ms. Ingraham tried to save him from himself. “You’re not comparing to golf because, of course, that’s what the media would say,” she said.
“No,” he responded. “I’m saying people choke.”
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