Watch | Trump advocates shooting robbers in fiery California speech

In a speech at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim, former US President Donald Trump made some highly provocative statements where he talked about ways to deal with robbers. Hesaidrobbers should be straight away shot by police as they leave the robbed stores, media reports said. His remarks are nothing new as they are consistent with his previous positions, but his endorsement of violent responses to criminal activity certainly represented an escalation, reported AP news agency.

During his speech, Trump advocated for severe consequences for individuals involved in robberies, stating, "If you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store." This part of his speech garnered enthusiastic applause from the audience.

"The word that they shoot you will get out within minutes and our nation, in one day, will be an entirely different place," Trump said Friday (September 29) and added, "There must be retribution for theft and destruction and the ruination of our country."

Trump has a long history of advocating for tough measures on various fronts, including immigration and crime.As per reports, the former US president previously suggested shooting migrants to prevent border crossings and proposed the death penalty for drug dealers, human traffickers, and those convicted of killing police officers.

His comments during his first year in office also included encouraging police to be rougher in their treatment of suspects."Please don't be too nice," Trump had reportedly told police at the time.

Crime in California

Trump's stance on crime comes as California is grappling with rising rates of homicides and other violent crimes. The state has also faced challenges such as rampant car break-ins, drug-related issues in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, and illegal street racing activities on a new $588-million bridge in Los Angeles, reported AP.

With his fiery California speech, Trump tried to tap into the frustration of California Republicans with the state's Democratic leadership, blaming them for issues such as homelessness, open borders, high taxes, inequality, and rising crime.

He said that California is a symbol of national decline and promised to work to improve current dire circumstances.

"We will reverse the decline of America and we will end the desecration of your once great state, California," Trump said and added, "This is not a great state anymore. This is a dumping ground. You're a dumping ground. The world is being dumped into California. Prisoners. Terrorists. Mental patients."

Despite facing significant defeats in California in previous elections, Trump claimed that these outcomes were the result of fraud and expressed confidence in winning the state in the next general election.

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