Biden slams Trump over “reckless” promotion of violence

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden lambasted President Donald Trump over his reckless provocation of violence after a violent encounter between a caravan of Trump supporters and BLM protesters in Portland.
• The former vice president said that Trump’s “failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is.”
• Meanwhile, Trump tweeted his frustration against Democrat Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, over his mishandling of the continuous protests.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed President Donald Trump over “recklessly” promoting violence following a clash between pro-Trump caravan group and Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Portland on Saturday evening. The incident left one person dead.

Based on his issued statement on Sunday, Biden said that the riot in Portland was “unacceptable,” and that he condemns any “violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right.”

“As a country, we must condemn the incitement of hate and resentment that led to this deadly clash,” he added. “It is not a peaceful protest when you go out spoiling for a fight. What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters?”

The former vice president said that Trump was “recklessly encouraging violence,” adding that while he “may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong… his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is.”

“He may think that war in our streets is good for his reelection chances, but that is not presidential leadership — or even basic human compassion,” Biden said. 

“The job of a president is to lower the temperature… The temperature in the country is higher, tensions run stronger, divisions run deeper. And all of us are less safe because Donald Trump can’t do the job of the American president,” he argued.

Biden’s criticism was a response against Trump’s commendation of his supporters who went into a caravan in Portland on Saturday. In a video, Trump supporters were seen spraying paintballs and ‘pepper spray’ against the protesters while they roamed around the downtown area. In response, the demonstrators threw things such as bottled waters pointed at the caravan.

In his tweet, Trump posted a video of the pro-Trump caravan while navigating in Portland, describing them as “GREAT PATRIOTS!” Then in a separate post, he cited the Washington DC demonstrators as “Disgraceful Anarchists,” saying “We are watching them closely.”

In another Twitter post, the president expressed his frustration towards Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, over the continuous protests in the city.

“The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing,” Trump wrote.”The people of Portland won’t put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!”

Source: AOL.com