Donald Trump: Drugs a 'Very, Very Big Factor' in Charlotte Protests

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) — Less than a day after protests over the police killing of an African-American man turned violent in North Carolina, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump placed some of the blame for the turmoil on the impact of drugs.

“If you’re not aware, drugs are a very, very big factor in what you’re watching on television at night,” said Trump in a speech to the Shale Insight 2016 Conference in Pittsburgh Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Charlotte experienced its second night of protests following the death of Keith Lamont Scott on Tuesday afternoon. Officers in riot gear confronted demonstrators in a downtown commercial area and employed tear gas to control crowds. One person is in critical condition after suffering an apparent gunshot wound.

Trump addressed the black community in a town hall on the Fox News Channel Wednesday night and was asked about the threat of violence.

“I would do stop and frisk. I think you have to,” said Trump. “We did it in New York, it worked incredibly well and you have to be proactive and, you know, you really help people sort of change their mind automatically.”

But Thursday morning, in an interview on Fox & Friends he rolled back the statement, claiming he was only referencing a strategy for the city of Chicago.

In Pittsburgh, Trump delineated a difference between what he called “violent disruptor[s]” and the rest of the black community. He said it was the country’s job “to make life more comfortable for the African-American parent trying to raise their kids in peace, to walk their children to school and to get their children great educations.”

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