The Trump and Biden campaigns are sparring over the violence and unrest plaguing cities across the country, with both pointing the finger at the other for the chaos amid plans to hit the campaign trail to address the problem.
President Trump will head to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to meet with law enforcement and review the damage from several nights of rioting following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man.
The violence and rioting led to a 17-year-old, Kyle Rittenhouse, shooting and killing two protesters last week. After state and local officials called on the feds, the national guard was sent in and helped stop the unrest within 24-hours.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and senior campaign adviser, said the National Guard should be used in other cities like Portland to help stop the violence there, which has been ongoing for weeks.
“That should be the model that I think all these Democrat mayors that are playing politics …should look to,” she told Fox News Sunday.
She chided Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for not condemning the violence until last week, since it began unfolding in cities across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day — roughly three months ago.
“It took him about three months to finally come out and condemn this violence,” Ms. Trump said. “He knows that that is his base and he doesn’t want to upset these people.”
But Kate Bedingfield, deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign, said it was actually Mr. Trump who is inciting the violence.
“He has encouraged his supporters to go out and be aggressive,” she told Fox News.
Ms. Bedingfield also noted Mr. Biden would be out this week to address the chaos and remind voters this is happening under Mr. Trump’s watch.
“You will hear Joe Biden out this week,” she said, addressing reports he may also head to Wisconsin. She said location details would come in the next few days.
Mr. Biden has mostly campaigned virtually from his home in Delaware but said he could be out on the campaign trail in battleground states after Labor Day.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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