On Friday at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, N.Y, President Donald Trump urged the room of law enforcement officers and the officers listening to his speech to use excessive force of criminals. The 35-minute-speech was organized to discuss the violence related to MS-13, which has hit Suffolk County especially hard. Since 2016, there have been 17 murders linked to the gang. Trump walks out on stage to roaring applause, flashes a proud smile and shakes some hands. At the podium, where a White House Aide placed a script just as Trump walks on stage, he begins his speech.

As Trump is famous for doing, he raised eyebrows and evoked the ridicule of Civil Unions and Poverty Law Centers. In the speech, Trump stated “Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over, like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody, don’t hit their head, I said, ‘You can take the hand away, OK?’”

He went on to add “When you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, and I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice.”

Officers from various departments stepped up to express their disagreement with the President’s statements. 

I’m a cop.

I do not agree with or condone @POTUS remarks today on police brutality.

Those that applauded and cheered should be ashamed.

— Ben Tobias (@GPDBenTobias) July 28, 2017

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The @POTUS made remarks today that endorsed and condoned police brutality.

GPD rejects these remarks and continues to serve with respect.

— Gainesville Police (@GainesvillePD) July 29, 2017

As a department, we do not and will not tolerate roughing up of prisoners.

— Suffolk County PD (@SCPDHq) July 28, 2017

The speech comes at a questionable time as last week Minneapolis police shot and killed an unarmed Australian woman who had called them to investigate a noise. Many were also quick to point out how Trump’s hate speech is narrowly focused on people of color and who he deems a danger to society. 

 Friday night, the POTUS tweeted out this video, mascaraing the violent undertones with patriotism:

We will defend our country, protect our communities and put the safety of the AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST! Replay: https://t.co/dcZxPKOPZ9 pic.twitter.com/0NGiIhGY18

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017