"Trump to meet with families affected by police violence". I cannot imagine what he will say to them. Can you?

I'm CERTAIN he was forced into doing it by others. I wonder if it will be scripted? Thank you for your reply L and Happy Tuesday! :) This post was edited by RosieG at June 16, 2020 9:13 AM MDT

What is this certainly based on, Rosie? I don't think you actually know him.

If he's meeting with them in person, I'm sure whatever he says will be off the cuff.  You know how well he does with ad libbing.

Exactly. But I have a feeling he won't be allowed to be there alone with them and some verbal interloper will jump in if he is going drastically off the rails. Of course I could be wrong! Thank you for your reply L. I mean he could go off on a tangent about all he has done for African Americans and that would not be "appropriate". He could tell them all he has done for "their people" and how he is the best president blacks ever had. Like that. Really empathetic and kind. The usual! :(

Yes, he could tell them that and I wouldn't be surprised if he does, but who knows.  I just don't get the feeling that he's doing this because he's concerned about them or their losses.  I fell it's more like a PR stunt.

This is the sort of thing every president does because it's the right thing to do. Aren't there enough other things to rip on him for without faulting him when he actually does the right thing? As I asked Rosie, would you prefer that he didn't and just ignore them?

Yes, any other president would give the impression of being sincere in meeting with these families, but I don't have the impression that Trump really cares about them at all.  To him, it's more like a photo op or PR stunt to try and convince people that he's empathetic.  I don't think he has an empathetic bone in his body.  

Or he could not do it and just ignore them. When someone does the right thing, does it matter why, or is that only the case for him?

He has ignored a number of other cases of police brutality and police shootings in the past, so why all of a sudden is it important now?  Perhaps because this is much closer to the election and he's hoping to win the Black vote.  When "doing the right thing" is to benefit his re-election, yes it matters why.

Got news for you. Every politician does things to benefit his or her re-election, especially because of the optics in an election year. It's naive to think this is only something Trump is doing.

I didn't say Trump was the only one doing it.

I see, but it appears that he's the only one you're criticizing for doing it.

I haven't seen that many politicians making statements, but of the ones I have, they appear to be more sincere and have been consistent when these things have happened in the past.

This is what Ahmaud Arbery's mother had to say. I'm no more a fan of Trump than you are, but she seems to think he actually cares:

The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old unarmed black man killed in February by a pair of armed white men who chased him in their car while he jogged in Georgia, offered a glimpse into her “very emotional” meeting with President Trump.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon, Wanda Cooper-Jones described herself as “very, very emotional throughout the whole conference.”

As for the commander-in-chief, Cooper-Jones said, “He was very compassionate. He showed major concern for all families, not just one family, but for all families.”

The president met on Tuesday with Cooper-Jones and the families of seven other Americans who have been killed by police violence, including Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Texas man who was fatally shot by a white off-duty police officer in his own apartment.

“I can say that President Trump was very receiving, he listened and he addressed each and every family accordingly,” Arbery’s grieving mother continued.

Cooper-Jones said Trump assured “each family member that we would and should expect change” in the wake of their loved ones’ senseless deaths.

I saw that.  I was not there, but if she and the other families were satisfied with his demeanor and what he said, that's what matters.  Now, let's see what changes he makes.

EDIT:  Here is another interpretation of the meeting.  Clearly, they agree in some ways and are completely opposite regarding other aspects.

https://news.yahoo.com/ahmaud-arberys-relatives-other-families-165831517.html This post was edited by SpunkySenior at June 19, 2020 7:04 PM MDT