Democrat Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, on Wednesday held President Trump responsible for the violent unrest that has beset U.S. cities controlled by Democrats.
“The simple reality is that we are seeing more and more chaos and violence under the Trump presidency, and there’s no reason to expect that it would get any different or any better if he were reelected,” Mr. Buttigieg told Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
National Democrats have largely avoided commenting on the arson, looting, window-breaking and assaults plaguing major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, all of which are controlled by Democratic mayors in states led by Democratic governors.
Mr. Trump has been repeatedly rebuffed by Democrats as he seeks to restore order by offering federal law-enforcement help, although he said Wednesday that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, agreed to accept the administration’s outreach in Kenosha, the latest hotspot.
Even though Democrats have for the most part rejected the federal assistance, Mr. Buttigieg said that “the president’s strategy has obviously not helped because all of this chaos is happening on his watch.”
“This is very much characteristic of living in Donald Trump’s America, and I think we’re going to see more and more of it as long as he’s in charge,” Mr. Buttigieg said.
Conservative author David Limbaugh called Mr. Buttigieg’s argument “mind-blowingly dishonest.”
“Buttigieg couldn’t be more disingenuous — to blame Democrat enabled lawlessness, violence, and riots on Trump because it’s during his presidency is mindblowingly dishonest,” Mr. Limbaugh tweeted. “Will Democrats really try this tactic — to belatedly denounce the violence and [then] try to blame Trump? Wow.”
Pete Buttigieg’s father brought Cultural Marxism — via teaching the work of Antonio Gramsci at Notre Dame — to the United States. The bad apple didn’t fall far from the tree. https://t.co/mJZZaHyyxR
— Eric Metaxas (@ericmetaxas) August 26, 2020
Mr. Buttigieg, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nod, also blasted Mr. Trump for coming down too hard on “peaceful protesters, like when he tear-gassed protesters in Lafayette Square.”
Mr. Trump tweeted Wednesday: “My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!) … TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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