Former President Donald Trump condemned the actions of police officers who fatally beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month.
Nichols was beaten by five police officers on January 10, and died in hospital three days later.
FULL: Tire Nichols video released in Memphis (SOUND CORRECTED) pic.twitter.com/3xtYrLgUH2
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 28, 2023
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Body camera footage of the beating was released to the public on Friday night, sparking large-scale protests in several cities.
Speaking to The Associated Press in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump said it “never should have happened.”
“I thought it was terrible. He was in such trouble. They just beat him. It should never have happened,” Trump said.
Trump also told the paper that Nichols screaming for his mother was a “very sad moment.”
Nichols was on his way to dinner at his mother’s house and was attacked very close.
“That was the thing that struck me the most, to be honest with you,” Trump said.
The AP says “Trump said Memphis police are taking a ‘strong step’ by disbanding the police unit involved in the attack, which was created to target violent offenders in high-crime areas.”
“Look, the video may not have been completely convincing, but to me it was pretty convincing and it was vicious and violent and hard to believe — for a traffic violation,” he said.
Joe Biden also condemned the beating, but brought race into it – even though all the police officers are black.
“Like many, I was outraged and deeply hurt when I saw the horrific video of the beating that resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols,” Biden said in a statement after the videos were released to the public. “It’s another painful reminder of the deep fear and trauma, pain and exhaustion that black and brown Americans experience every day.”
“My heart goes out to the family of Tyre Nichols and Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this terribly painful loss,” Biden said. “The footage released tonight will leave people rightly outraged. Those seeking justice should not resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols’ family in calling for a peaceful protest.”
All five former officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith — have already been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, among other charges.