While Senate Republicans faced a roadblock on the path to police reform this week, the Trump administration is implementing change from the White House, not only in police reform but also in social and race relations, Ja'Ron Smith, deputy assistant to the president, told Cheddar.
"The president is going to focus on the executive order that he put forth and work to bring the country together," he said. Last week the president signed an executive order that would add financial incentives to improving police practices and establish a database of officers with excessive use-of-force complaints.
As Congress continues to lock horns over reform, the road to a bipartisan agreement is "going to be very difficult," said Smith, because Democratic leaders are holding up progress.
"Everybody wants to do something. Everybody wants to work together but the Democratic leadership is blocking America's ability to get common ground and unite us," Smith added.
After Senate Democrats blocked debate on the Republicans'police reform bill, the Democrat-led House passed its own version on Thursday. It's unclear how the bill will proceed with the two sides so far apart: Democrats are calling for outright bans on controversial policing tactics like chokeholds and making it easier to make claims for police misconduct, while Republican measures focus on training and offer incentives for officers to use body cameras.
Smith, who was instrumental in crafting the president's executive order, which aligns with the Senate bill, said it aims to reduce over-policing by creating new standards that hold officers accountable and equip them with tools that promote de-escalation.
"I think those things are going to drastically change the way we police around the country, by working with police officers and working with communities," Smith said.
But the president's executive order on police reform isn't the only way he's providing direct aid to disenfranchised communities, particularly in Black and Brown neighborhoods, according to Smith. He pointed to the First Step Act of 2019 that reduced mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenders and noted more than 80 percent of prisoners released were African American. But that is not the end of the administration's plans.
"We're going to continue to roll out different policy actions that deal with these disparities," Smith noted.
For President Trump, the line between understanding and enforcing civility, Smith said, is clearly distinguishable, "It's about being tough on crime but being compassionate."
As protesters nationwide clash with police over toppling statues of controversial figures in American history, the president's deputy assistant stated that there are more dignified ways for Americans to express disdain.
"We have a civil society where you can use your platform and work with your local electeds to make a decision on how to remove statues if you want to remove them; but we don't want anarchy," he said.
Improved community policing is only one piece of a larger puzzle the Trump administration is working on to improve the quality of life for many Black Americans, according to Smith. Initiatives in education, healthcare, and providing access to capital for business owners are all plans currently underway.
