As all 50 states begin reopening their economies from the coronavirus pandemic, cities across the country imposed curfews as protests responding to the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police turned into violent riots. These moments might be the most crucial in defining where the 2020 election is headed between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
As police brutality, race relations, and the rule of law become focal points of the race for the time-being, the main distinction that separates Trump from Biden is action. If actions speak louder than words, Trump is trying to make the case that he’s acting instead of providing lip service.
Within days of George Floyd being killed by police officer Derek Chauvin, Trump spoke with members of the Floyd family and called on the Justice Department to expedite its investigation into his death.
“I want to express our nation’s deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the family of George Floyd,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
Within a few hours, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Biden, on the other hand, can only speak out. Meeting with black church leaders in Delaware, Biden promised to combat “institutional racism.”
“The moment has come for our nation to deal with systemic racism, to deal with the growing economic inequity that exists in our nation,” Biden told an audience on Monday.
It’s important to note here that while Trump mobilized the Justice Department to look into Floyd, this was before the protests developed into violent riots.
Trump responded on Twitter on Sunday by designating the far-left extremist group, Antifa, as a terrorist organization and put the onus on “weak” governors to get tough on the riots. It was even reported that he and the First Family were rushed into the White House bunker for their safety while violent confrontations were escalating.
This has got a lot of Americans, including many of Trump’s supporters, asking: where is the president to lead on this? For a few days, Trump remained quiet, but on Monday, he gave a brief speech condemning the riots and then walked over to St. John’s Church, which was vandalized and set fire to the night before.
The move was widely condemned as military police used tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters gathering around Lafayette Park, so that Trump could stand in front of the church with a Bible in hand.
This could make or break Trump’s shot at re-election. Taking the wrong action could hurt, but inaction could be fatal.
