Sorry, but framing is everything.

If you ignore that he said that he supports criminal justice reform, and merely said that the "phrase" "defund the police" turns people off, then you've already lost.

Has there been a single instance where that phrase hasn't been misrepresented by a Republican pundit or misunderstood by someone who is otherwise right behind reform of the criminal justice system?

If you have to spend the first minute after using your catchy slogan explaining what it actually means, you've already lost.