Trump regretfully says he thinks chokeholds should 'be ended'

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 12 June 2020

You might be forgiven for thinking a chokehold is just a hug for the neck, based on the fuzzy way President Trump discussed the controversial police technique on Friday. "I think the concept of chokehold sounds so innocent, so perfect," the president said on Fox News.

Trump went on to say that a chokehold depends "on the toughness and the strength" and that "you have to be careful." He added eventually that he believed "it would be, I think, a very good thing that, generally speaking, it should be ended."

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Despite his words, Trump seemed regretful to be letting chokeholds go. "Sometimes if you're alone, and you're fighting someone who's tough, and you get somebody in a chokehold … and it's a real bad person, and you know that, and they do exist ... and what're you gonna do, you're gonna get someone in a chokehold and let go?" Trump asked. "And say, 'Oh let's start all over again, I'm not allowed to have you in a chokehold?'" Watch the interview below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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