Trump says chokeholds by police sound 'so innocent and so perfect' but that 'generally speaking' the practice should be ended

• President Donald Trump on Friday somewhat defended the practice of chokeholds by police, but also said that "generally speaking it should be ended."
• "I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent and so perfect," Trump said during a Fox News interview.
• But Trump appeared to suggest that chokeholds might be permissible in certain situations, such as if police are outnumbered.
• As Congress deliberates over policing reform amid nationwide protests over George Floyd's brutal death, Democrats earlier this week unveiled legislation that included a ban on chokeholds.

President Donald Trump on Friday said that the concept of policing using chokeholds sounds "so perfect and so innocent," but that the practice should still be ended.

"I think the concept of chokeholds sounds so innocent and so perfect," Trump said in a Fox News interview.

"Now if it's two-on-one that's a little bit of a different story ... With that being said, it would be I think a very good thing that generally speaking it should be ended," the president added.

Trump said he doesn't like chokeholds, but added, "Sometimes if you're alone and you're fighting somebody, it's tough ... we have some real bad people." He was seemingly suggesting that chokeholds by police might be permissible depending on the circumstances.

—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 12, 2020

A police reform bill recently unveiled by Democrats in Congress bans chokeholds, while a developing Senate GOP bill doesn't go as far. Some congressional Republicans in appear open to barring the practice, however. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday said he supports the Democrats' proposed prohibition on chokeholds by law enforcement.

The US is currently in the midst of a nationwide conversation on police brutality and racism following the brutal death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Floyd, a Black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes. In the wake of Floyd's disturbing death, Minneapolis banned the use of chokeholds and neck restraints by police.

Chokeholds by police have been a controversial practice for years, particularly after an officer employed one in the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island back in 2014. Garner, who was unarmed and stopped on suspicion of illegally selling loose cigarettes, could be heard saying "I can't breathe" in a video of the incident that catalyzed protests in New York City and beyond.

In a video of the fatal encounter between Floyd and Minneapolis police, the 46-year-old could also be heard shouting "I can't breathe." Among other slogans, the phrase has become a rallying cry among people protesting across the US in recent weeks.