Former President Donald Trump joined in the outrage over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
Trump spoke to the Associated Press in South Carolina on Saturday while between events for his 2024 campaign. In the interview, the ex-president was asked for his reaction to the release of horrific video from the brutal incident where cops beat Nichols during a traffic stop before dying three days later.
“I thought it was terrible. He was in such trouble. He was just being pummeled. Now that should never have happened,” Trump said. He also condemned the beating as “horrible” while saying it was “very sad” because of the part of the footage where Nichols cried out for his mother.
“That was really the point that got me the most, to be honest with you,” Trump said.
Trump’s reaction to the video comes after the beating was condemned by Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and a bipartisan mix of news observers. The former president’s reaction marks a departure from his past rhetoric regarding police brutality and his negative comments about those demonstrating against racial injustice
The five Memphis officers involved in the Nichols beating were fired last week and are facing charges for murder. The Memphis Police Department is disbanding their SCORPION unit after being implicated in the beating, which Trump praised as a “strong step.”
