President Trump said Saturday that the Confederate flag should be protected under the First Amendment and treated as freedom of expression, despite intense reaction to the symbol in recent months.
Trump was interviewed at the White House by Catherine Herridge of CBS News, who asked the commander-in-chief about the comments he made in 2015 regarding the Confederate flag displayed in museums.
“Everything I say is freedom of expression, it is very simple,” he replied. “My attitude is freedom of expression. Very strong views on the Confederate flag. For me, it is freedom of expression. Very simple. I like it, I don’t like it, it is freedom of expression.”
Then Herridge asked the president if he would be comfortable with his supporters displaying the flag at events and continued to postpone First Amendment protection.
“It depends on what your definition is,” he said. “But I am comfortable with freedom of expression. It is very simple.”
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Herridge followed up with the question, again, to ask Trump if he knew why the flag is offensive to some people and responded by comparing it to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I know people who like the Confederate flag and don’t think about slavery,” he explained. “Look NASCAR: You go to NASCAR, you have those flags everywhere. They stopped him. I think it’s freedom of expression. Whether it’s Confederate flags or Black Lives Matter, or whatever else you want to talk about, it is freedom of expression. “
When asked about the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody and the murder of black Americans by law enforcement, Trump said that Americans of all backgrounds, including whites, have been victims of police brutality and abuse.
“And also the whites. Also the whites,” he replied. “What a terrible question to ask. So are whites. More white people, by the way. More white people.”
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Later, Herridge praised the president on-air after the interview for answering the network’s questions directly and with little doubt.
“To the President’s credit, we asked him several very direct questions and he answered all of our questions,” he added.