In a cynical, opportunistic effort to win black voters in spite of his overt racism, Trump frequently talked about the criminal justice reform bill he signed during the campaign. This was a mixed message, however; his predominant narrative was that Black Lives Matter is an evil, racist organization, and that the police should be unleashed, not defunded, to put an end to the spike in crime that supposedly threatened virtuous white people in the suburbs.
It is very likely that we will be hearing plenty of the pro-police, anti-BLM part of the message in the next few years. That is unfortunate, because the police can’t operate effectively without community support, which will be lacking if they present themselves as a self-interested army of occupation, not public servants.
There is plenty of middle ground between “Defund the Police” and “Blue Lives Matter.” Reformers need to understand that the police have a difficult job that requires tough choices, and to show some empathy; the pro-police crowd, on the other hand, needs to grasp that gratuitous displays of violence, particularly against minorities, ultimately backfire. Beating heads versus budget cutting is a false choice.