The White House is reportedly considering having President Donald Trump give a national address on the subjects of race and national unity in light of the ongoing protests across the country related to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, according to CNN:

“After a weekend of massive peaceful protests around the country, White House officials are currently deliberating a plan for President Donald Trump to address the nation this week on issues related to race and national unity, as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson hinted in an interview with CNN on Sunday and a senior administration official said was under serious consideration.”

Specifically, Carson told CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday’s edition of “State of the Union” that the president would be addressing Floyd’s death and the underlying tensions which touched off the protests:

“I believe you’re going to be hearing from the President this week on this topic in some detail. And I would ask you maybe to reserve judgment until after that time.”

However, any address from Trump could also result in enormous backlash due to the fact that he has repeatedly made racist remarks over the course of his presidency and also has a history of discriminating against African-Americans when he was a real estate developer, including being accused of refusing to rent to blacks by the U.S. Department of Justice during the Nixon administration.

Some aides in the administration feel this is the perfect time for the president to tackle the issue of racism and police brutality head on, especially since protests over the weekend were peaceful:

“Allies and advisers believe that the lack of violence over the weekend allows the President to double down on his ‘law and order’ message, painting the relative calm as a direct result of his push for ‘domination’ in the streets, a source close to the White House told CNN.”

But as with nearly everything Trump does, there’s also a political motivation behind such an address, CNN notes, as the president and his campaign advisers see a chance to hit Democrats as being weak on the issues of crime and policing:

“Some in and around the White House now believe they were given a gift by protesters over the weekend, as chants of “defund the police” permeated the streets. This source said there are plans to link Democrats to this effort in the hope of siphoning off more moderate voters who may view it as extreme.”

Based on a new CNN poll, Trump is going to need all the help he can get as he attempts to claw himself back into the 2020 race. The CNN survey shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a massive 14-point lead over Trump.

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