Joe Biden issued his firmest rebuttal yet to President Trump’s argument that nationwide unrest would increase under the Democratic presidential nominee, calling Trump a “selfish, angry, dark, and divisive” president who is “determined to instill fear in America.” The president, Biden said, is making the United States less safe.
Speaking from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the former vice president offered an explanation for recent violent clashes in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon.
“It’s getting worse, and you know why: because Donald Trump has fueled every fire. Because he refused to even acknowledge that there is a racial justice problem in America. Because he won’t stand up to any form of violence,” Biden said.
He reiterated his condemnation of the rioting, looting, and arson that have sprung out of the protests across the country.
“I’ll be very clear about all this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting,” Biden said.
The speech followed the killing of an apparent pro-Trump demonstrator in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, as well as riots and fires in Kenosha following the police shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, and the arrest of Illinois 17-year-old pro-Trump vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse, who traveled to Kenosha and allegedly killed two people last week.
Earlier on Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that Trump will not comment on Rittenhouse.
Biden’s new focus on addressing the nationwide violence is a response to arguments from Trump and Republicans that riots and destruction are being perpetrated by “Biden supporters” in cities controlled by Democrats and that they would escalate if Biden is elected.
He directly addressed that augment.
“Trump and Pence are running on this. I find it fascinating: ‘Oh, you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.’ And what’s their proof? The violence we’re seeing and Donald Trump’s America,” Biden said. “Frankly, I believe if I were president today, the country would be safer, and we’d see a lot less violence.”
“Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?” Biden said.
The former vice president Biden accused Trump of being incapable of quelling violence across the country, including when it takes the form of “unwarranted police shooting [and] excessive force.” He said the scope of the president’s responsibility to ensure safety goes beyond curbing riots and violent protests.
Biden said that when he was vice president, violent crime fell 15%, whereas the murder rate this year is up 26%. He argued that Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has made the U.S. less safe, pointing to more than 180,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths in the country. He also referenced Trump’s statement that he would eliminate the payroll tax, which funds Social Security, and reports that Russia paid bounties for murdering U.S. soldiers.
He accused Trump of being “desperate to do anything to hold on to power.”
“Donald Trump looks at this violence, and he sees a political lifeline,” Biden said, referencing former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway saying that the more violence erupts, the better it is for Trump. “The simple truth is Donald Trump failed to protect America. So now he’s trying to scare America.”
Trump’s campaign responded to the speech by saying that Biden did not specifically condemn far-left groups in his speech despite the former vice president’s condemnation of all violence.
“He failed to condemn antifa. He failed to condemn people who called the police a ‘cancer’ or people on his campaign staff who called them ‘pigs.’ He failed to apologize for his campaign staff donating to a fund which bailed violent criminals out of jail in Minneapolis. He failed to urge Democrat governors to call in the National Guard. He failed to urge Democrat mayors to allow the federal government to help,” Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, said in a statement.
