Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Trump, Biden spar in speeches
Democrat urges national healing; president calls for strength
WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden called the struggle to reopen U.S. schools in the coronavirus pandemic a “national emergency” while President Donald Trump, in a V-J Day speech on Wednesday, trumpeted American strength.
Biden accused Trump of turning his back to stoke passions instead about unrest in America’s cities.
The Democratic presidential nominee’s broadsides came a day ahead of his own trip to Kenosha, Wis., where Biden said he wants to help “heal” a city reeling after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man.
Biden assailed Trump for what he calls his vilifying of protesters as well as the pres- ident’s handling of the pan- demic. An American presi- dent, Trump’s challenger de- clared, should be able to lead through multiple crises at the same time.
“Where is the president? Why isn’t he working on this?,” Biden asked. “We need emergency support funding for our schools — and we need it now. Mr. President, that is your job. That’s what you should be focused on — getting our kids back to school. Not whipping up fear and division — not inciting violence in our streets.”
Trump answered with his own event in North Carolina, where he continued casting the protests that in some cases turned into rioting as “violent mobs here at home” that must be met with a strong show of force. “These people know one thing: strength,” he said. If local leaders would ask for federal muscle, Trump said, “We’ll have it done in one hour.”
As thunderstorms threatened Wednesday, Trump stood before an iconic World War II-era battleship to declare the port city of Wilmington, N.C., a World War II “Heritage City.” He pointed to a bolt of lightning and said it was God saluting the event.
He honored war veterans, including 97-year-old Hershel “Woody” Williams, the sole surviving Marine from the war to receive the Medal of Honor. The West Virginia native fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific.
“He’s 100 percent sharp,” Trump said of Williams, who traveled to the key battleground state with the president aboard Air Force One.
“I know a 78-year-old who’s not so sharp,” Trump added, an allusion to Biden.
The opposing events reflected the clear fault lines of the general election campaign. Each man casts the other as a threat to Americans’ day-today security.
Biden said Wednesday that he’d use existing federal disaster law to direct funding to schools to help them reopen safely, and he urged Trump to “get off Twitter” and “negotiate a deal” with Congress on more pandemic aid. He repeated his assertions that a full economic recovery isn’t possible with covid-19 still raging, and that reopening schools safely is a necessary part of both limiting the virus’ spread and allowing parents to return to work.
The Trump campaign noted in reply that the president has asked Congress for $105 billion in aid for schools.
“This is the most important election in the history of our country. I really believe that, because we’re running against people that have got some big issues,” he told supporters on the airport tarmac. “They have got some big, big problems. They’re stone cold crazy.”
Trump won North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points in 2016, but polls are showing an extremely close race taking shape in a state that generates 15 electoral votes for its winner.
The president’s visit to North Carolina comes as county boards start sending absentee ballots to voters on Friday. Vice President Mike Pence will follow the president by visiting Raleigh today.
Addressing the ongoing unrest over racial injustice and policing, Biden told reporters he believes the Kenosha officer who shot Blake “needs to be charged.” Biden also called for charges in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed in her Louisville, Ky., home by police in March. Biden did not name specific charges and said authorities must conduct full investigations.
Biden also called for legal action on citizens who’ve committed violence as part of civil unrest, a direct answer to Trump’s continued assertions that Biden backs violent protests.
The former vice president said he plans to meet in Kenosha with civic and business leaders and law enforcement officials. He also will meet with members of the Blake family; he’s already talked with some of them by phone.
Biden raised $364 million in campaign funds in August. The Trump campaign has yet to release fundraising figures for August.
As Trump and Biden dueled Wednesday, presidential debate organizers announced moderators for the fall. Chris Wallace of Fox News will lead the Sept. 29 debate, followed Oct. 15 by Steve Scully of C-SPAN and NBC’s Kristen Welker on Oct. 22.