Donald Trump on Friday afternoon claimed to be completely ignorant of the racist history of the phrase 'when the looting starts, the shooting starts,' which he tweeted, and the White House retweeted, and which was also posted on the Presidential Facebook account.

The phrase was made famous by a Miami police chief in 1967.

JUST IN: President Trump addresses tweet (and WH retweet) that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”....claims he didn’t know the racially charged history. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/hrByVLXgsS

 Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) May 29, 2020

Trump on Friday told reporters he believed the phrase means "when there's looting, people get shot and they die."

He says that's very accurate and "we don't want that to happen."

Trump denied knowing the origins of the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” saying he has heard the phrase “for a long time.”When a reporter noted it was said by Miami police chief in 1967, Trump said he “has also heard from many other places.”@JasonHoffman93

 Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 29, 2020

"That's the way that was meant, and that's the way I think it was supposed to be meant, but I don't know where it came from."

President Trump says he didn't know where the term "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

It originates from a Miami police chief whose aggressive policies in black neighborhoods led to violence in the late 1960s.https://t.co/QoVGt6ce5Y

 Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) May 29, 2020

"I've heard that phrase for a long time.

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https://boingboing.net/2020/05/29/trump-claims-he-didnt-know-r.html