In midst of answer about Syria, Trump detours to reference “riots” that are taking place “in so many of our cities.” pic.twitter.com/GLo9YYm8TS

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) July 12, 2016

Trump’s again viewing things that didn’t happen - or conflating protests and demonstrations with actual riots.

Riots actually occurred in two cities - Ferguson and Baltimore in the wake of the murder of two black men at the hands of cops. The harsh policing by those departments was a factor in the riots occurring. They militarized and initiated actions that would lead to more violence instead of deescalating tensions.