Joe Biden is increasingly casting the violence in cities such as Portland and Kenosha as a right-wing phenomenon stoked by President Trump, in an effort to undercut the “law and order” case against the Democratic ticket.
“I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. But in subsequent comments, such as his speech in Pittsburgh on Monday, critics say he has condemned ostensibly right-wing actors with greater specificity than left-wing activists.
The former vice president spoke of the “violence of extremists and opportunists, right-wing militias,” and “white nationalists.” Biden said of Trump, “He’s got no problem with right-wing militias, white supremacists, and vigilantes with assault weapons often better armed than the police.”
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh shot back: Biden “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.”
“It will fail,” Republican strategist and former Trump 2016 campaign official Bryan Lanza said of Biden’s tactic. “We all know it’s antifa and BLM.” As the violence has continued in some cities throughout the summer, public approval of Black Lives Matter has dipped and violent crime has reemerged as a top issue in some polls.
Biden’s campaign is emphasizing clashes between Trump supporters and protesters, especially an incident in Kenosha where a 17-year-old was arrested for shooting to death two demonstrators during a physical altercation. Democrats argue that Trump is similarly selective in the violence he condemns, focusing only on left-wing activists rather than anyone closer to his own political orbit.
This message has been amplified in the media. MSNBC host Joy Reid compared Trump to leaders “in the Muslim world” who radicalize their followers with violent rhetoric. “As right-wing groups increasingly move to confront protesters in U.S. cities, demonstrators are assessing how to keep themselves safe.”
Still, viral images of protesters harassing a Trump-supporting couple on their way back to their hotel from the White House or attacking Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, reinforced the left-wing character of the majority of those taking over the streets. Trump has repeatedly pointed out that the cities where things are most out of control are governed by Democratic mayors and city councils, frequently in blue states. Trump has ridiculed television reporters for describing protests as mostly peaceful while standing in front of burning buildings.
After speakers at the Democratic convention mostly ignored the violence, preferring instead to highlight peaceful protesters they often argued the Trump administration was suppressing, the Biden campaign has moved toward tackling the issue head-on. Some in the Trump camp believe this is more favorable ground for the Republican ticket to fight on, though Democrats disagree.
With the NFL season approaching, Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said it was time for Biden to “abandon his prevent defense and turn up the heat to blitz the Trump campaign.” He added, “It was time for the former vice president to get up into the president’s grill.”
“The Biden campaign’s laissez faire, ‘let Trump be Trump’ approach had worked like gangbusters through the summer,” Bannon said. “But as we get into the fall, it was time for the Democratic standard-bearer to take off the gloves and be more aggressive. Trump’s shaky hold on reality will get even more tenuous once the Democratic nominee turns up the heat on the president.”
Trump’s tone has repelled voters before, especially on race-related issues. His job approval numbers fell after George Floyd’s death in police custody as voters looked for a calming, unifying voice out of the White House. But there are signs that the public, though sympathetic to racial justice issues, is growing weary of the rioting and looting taking place in some cities. While Trump argues things will get worse if Biden is elected, the Democratic nominee counters that the incumbent is to blame for the current violence.
The president visited Kenosha on Tuesday to survey the damage from rioting that broke out after Jacob Blake, a young black man, was shot seven times by police. Trump promised to dole out federal aid to the area to help rebuild. Biden continued to cast Trump as an instigator whose comments on the protests generate more heat than light.
