Biden: Protest violence being stoked by Trump
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 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, Del., 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, part of the law-and-order message the president is emphasizing as some protests against racial injustice have become violent.
Trump tweeted 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, Wis., and Portland, Ore., 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 he leaned on his own 47-year 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 hit Trump on everything from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic to the economy to relations with Russia.
He declared that that even as Trump is “trying to scare America,” what’s really causing the nation’s fear is Trump’s own failures. He pointed to a rise in murders this past year, the tens of thousands dead from the coronavirus and the economic damage done by the pandemic.
“You want to talk about fear? They’re afraid they’re going to get covid, they’re afraid they’re going to get sick and die,” Biden said.
Trump and other speakers at last week’s Republican National Convention frequently highlighted incidents of violence at protests that were sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May, predicting that if Biden is elected in November such incidents will become the norm.
However, Biden accuses Trump of viewing the violence as a “political benefit.”
“He’s rooting for more violence, not less,” Biden said last week.
For months, Trump was trying to distract from the pandemic, And at times he seemed to receive slight positive bumps in support when touting the possible economic recovery, campaign officials said. But other attempts to change the narrative with cultural wedge issues fell flat, including a defense of Confederate monuments, and polling suggested that Trump was far out of step with the Black Lives Matter movement, which enjoyed wide public support.