Trump offers his two cents: ‘Racial divisions have gotten worse, not better.’

In a brief video released on Friday evening, Donald Trump somberly looked into the camera and told Americans that the attack on police officers at a peaceful protest in Dallas on Thursday "is an attack on our country and an attack on our families."

He added that racial division in the United States has worsened and that "too many Americans are living in terrible poverty and violence," although he did not share any specific ideas for how to change this.

"The shooting of the 12 police officers in Dallas, Texas, has shaken the soul of our nation," Trump said in opening his remarks, which were broadcast by major television networks on Friday evening.

Trump said that he met with some members of the Dallas police force last month when he visited the city for a political rally, describing the force as "mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters."

"They are all on my mind today, they are on everybody's mind," Trump said. "A brutal attack on our police force is an attack on our country and an attack on our families. We must stand in solidarity with law enforcement which we must remember is the force between civilization and total chaos. Every American has the right to live in safety and peace."

Trump then mentioned by name two unarmed black men who were shot and killed by white police officers this week, prompting the peaceful rally in Dallas where a sniper opened fire and killed five police officers and wounded several others. Trump faced criticism earlier in the day for releasing a statement that referenced "two motorists," even though only one of the two men was in a car, and for not naming the men. Later in the day, the statement on Trump's campaign website was changed to say "two people."

"The deaths of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota also make clear how much more work we have to do to make every American feel that their safety is protected," Trump said. "Too many Americans are living in terrible poverty and violence. We need jobs, and we are going to produce those jobs. Racial divisions have gotten worse, not better. Too many headlines flash across our screens every day about the rising crime and rising death tolls in our cities."