During his meeting with police leaders, Trump also continued his promises to reduce violence in Chicago, saying that “no one in America should be punished” because of their birthplace. He pledged to provide resources to police departments and promised “zero tolerance” for violence against law enforcement.
Trump also promised to work on combating drug abuse and said there should be resources to deal with a “mental health crisis.”
Hundreds of members of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriff’s Association were in the standing room crowd, some in uniform but the majority in plain clothes.
They snapped photos with their phones as the president spoke, but clapped sparingly when he asked whether they were in agreement with his views on the immigration ban. His comments about combatting drug abuse and the targeting of police officers drew a more unanimous response from the crowd.
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Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey and Alicia Caldwell contributed to this report.
