Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), a former House Speaker whom presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is reportedly vetting for vice president, said Friday that black people in the U.S. are substantially more likely to be in a situation where the police dont respect you, and where you could easily get killed.

Sometimes, for white people, its difficult to appreciate how real that is, Gingrich said during a Facebook Live conversation with former Obama administration official Van Jones. Its an everyday danger.

If youre an African-American, then youre raising your teenage boys to be very careful in obeying the police, Gingrich said to Jones, who is black and the father of teenagers. Literally, their lives are at risk [if they interact with police], and they can see that on television.

The former House Speakers comments came as the nation collectively mourned the five Dallas police officers who were killed on Thursday following a peaceful demonstration against police brutality. The protest was prompted in part by police fatally shooting two black men earlier this week Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

If youre a normal Caucasian, Gingrich continued, you dont see that, because its not part of your experience. What we need is to have a conversation about mutual experiences.

Gingrich also admitted that he has not always understood the disparity between how white Americans and black Americans are treated.

It took me a long time, and a lot of people talking to me, to understand that if you are a normal white American, the truth is that you dont understand being black in America, Gingrich said. You instinctively underestimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk that black Americans face.