CLEVELAND (Sputnik) — He added that much of the division between citizens and law enforcement, that has turned violent in recent weeks, "is inspired out of the White House itself."
"I think that Donald Trump’s posture on this will be far, far better than President Obama’s, but I’m not sure you can put all the pieces back together," King said of the growing racial and social divisions in the United States, typified by recent police shootings.
In the past two weeks, five police officers in Dallas, Texas and three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana have been shot and killed by gunmen. The incidents followed tense protests around the country in the wake of police officers killing unarmed African-Americans.
King affirmed his agreement with Trump to restore "law and order, and respect for the rule of law."
King warned that tensions between citizens and law enforcement "can blow up in the streets pretty easily." He added that the there has not been "this type of racial tension in America since 1968-69," at the height of the civil rights movements.
On Monday, the opening day of the Republican National Convention featured a number of Trump supporters in law enforcement who demanded that "blue lives matter," referring to police officers.
