© Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
President Trump said Thursday that his administration is working on an executive order that will encourage police to meet "professional standards" for the use of force in the line of duty.
"We're working to finalize an executive order that will encourage police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation," Trump said during a roundtable with law enforcement, faith leaders and small business owners in Dallas.
Trump said the order would encourage police to use "force with compassion." He also defended his call for law enforcement to
"dominate the streets" in order to quell protests after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in police custody on May 25. Protests nationwide have been largely peaceful, with some incidents of looting in larger cities.
"And that means force, but force with compassion. But if you're going to have to really do a job, if somebody's really bad, you're going to have to do it with real strength, real power," Trump said.
"I said we have to dominate the streets," he continued. "And I was criticized for that statement. ...
Well, guess what, you know who dominated the streets? People who you don't want to dominate the streets."The White House previously signaled Trump was considering an executive order to address police reform, while lawmakers from both parties are working on legislation to address the issue. Democrats released their reform bill on Monday, and Republicans plan to unveil their own next week.
Comment: That the US needs to consider defaulting on its debts says a lot about the state of the US economy: