Joe Biden is speaking out against Donald Trump’s insistence that somehow the former vice president is responsible for the unrest we are seeing in several cities. In a speech from Pittsburg Monday, Biden said:
“Trump and Pence are running on this, ‘You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.’ And what’s their proof? The violence you’re seeing in Donald Trump’s America.”
In Pittsburgh, @JoeBiden clears up some confusion:
"[Trump] keeps telling you if only he was president it wouldn’t happen. He keeps telling us if he was president you would feel safe. Well – he is president. Whether he knows it or not. And it is happening. And you don’t."
— TJ Ducklo (@TDucklo) August 31, 2020
There it is.@JoeBiden: "When I was Vice President, violent crime fell 15% in this country. We did it without chaos and disorder…The murder rate is up 26% in cities across the nation this year under Donald Trump. Do you feel really safer under Trump?"
— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) August 31, 2020
Biden also set the record straight on the lawlessness that has broken out in some cities. He says he supports peaceful protests, but not violent ones:
“I want to be very clear about all of this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It’s lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change, it will only bring destruction. It’s wrong in every way. It will divide, instead of unite, destroys businesses, only hurts the working families that serve the community. It makes things worse across the board, not better. It’s not Dr. King or John Lewis taught and it must end. Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames.”
Apparently Trump wasn’t listening closely to this part of Biden’s speech because he fired off this tweet.
Just watched what Biden had to say. To me, he’s blaming the Police far more than he’s blaming the Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters, which he could never blame or he would lose the Radical Left Bernie supports!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020
Trump, clearly has more to say about Biden’s news conference, so in a late add to his schedule, he is now set to address reporters from the White House at 5:30pm.
Watch Biden’s full speech above.
This is a strong speech by Biden. He could’ve easily sounded defensive, but instead he made this a referendum on Trump’s handling of race relations, public safety, and the pandemic, where the incumbent continues to have very low ratings. https://t.co/MDsl2HCbeT
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) August 31, 2020
