Biden calls Trump ‘toxic presence’
Alexandra Jaffe, Jonathan Lemire and Will Weissert
PITTSBURGH — Declaring President Donald Trump a “toxic presence,” Joe Biden forcefully condemned the violence at recent protests while also blaming Trump for fomenting the divide that’s sparking it.
“He doesn’t want to shed light; he wants to generate heat, and he’s stoking violence in our cities,” Biden said Monday. “He can’t stop the violence because for years he’s fomented it.”
In one of his sharpest attacks on the president yet, Biden went on to call Trump a “toxic presence in this nation for four years” and to accuse him of “poisoning the values this nation has always held dear, poisoning our very democracy.”
“In just a little over 60 days, we have a decision to make: Will we rid ourselves of this toxin? Or make it a permanent part of our nation’s character?” Biden asked.
The speech marked a new phase of the campaign as Biden steps up his travel after largely remaining near his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And after centering his candidacy on accusing Trump of mishandling the pandemic, Biden is making a broader push to argue that Americans won’t be safe if Trump wins reelection.
That’s an effort to blunt Trump’s recent line of argument that a Biden presidency would mean more violence and rioting in the streets. It’s part of the lawand-order message the president is emphasizing as some protests against racial injustice have become violent.
The Trump campaign has sought to keep that focus because a sense has taken hold in his camp that the more the national discourse is about anything other than the virus, the better it is for the president.
Trump tweeted on Monday: “The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their ‘Movement.’ It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don’t listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement!”
Trump and his Republican allies have falsely accused Biden of ignoring the violence committed by some protesters at recent demonstrations, after people were shot at protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon in recent weeks.
On Monday, Biden denounced violence and looting at protests.
“It’s lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted,” he said.
He also accused Trump of being too “weak” to call on his own supporters to stop acting as “armed militia.”
And Biden leaned on his own 47year career in politics to defend himself against Republican attacks.
“You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my family’s story. Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”
Biden will be followed by his opponents into Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the November election. Vice President Mike Pence visits Tuesday, and Trump arrives Thursday.
In a sign of how significant the state will be for Biden, he offered a direct rebuttal of Republican attacks focused on his stance on fracking, which is a key source of energy industry jobs in the state.
“I am not banning fracking, no matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me,” he said.