President Donald Trump just keeps getting more desperate-sounding as the general election approaches and his poll numbers remain dismal. On Tuesday, shortly before departing for an event in Florida, Trump delivered an unhinged rant to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, which is where he was departing from. He claimed that a Biden victory would bring violence to the suburbs, which is just a ridiculous claim. Joe Biden is not some kind of apocalyptic harbinger of violence — amidst recent isolated outbursts of rioting, for instance, Biden has condemned violence unequivocally, over and over.
Trump ominously ranted to reporters:
‘The suburbs are next. If you elected this guy, the suburbs would be overwhelmed with violence and crime. So that’s where we are. This is the most important election in the history of our country.’
Check out his comments in the video below:
"If you elected this guy, the suburbs would be overwhelmed with violence and crime" — Trump's campaign message has devolved into just straight-up trying to terrify people pic.twitter.com/nDTG6FKuBJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 8, 2020
She’s not on the job anymore, but before her recent departure, longtime Trump ally Kellyanne Conway provided somewhat of an explanation for the president’s bizarre stance here. She insisted that “the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is” for Trump’s re-election chances, because — the thinking goes — he can use the violence as some sort of leverage to pressure people into voting for him, as if he’s some kind of messiah figure who’s here to save America from the chaos. In reality, the violence is unfolding on his own inept watch to begin with.
Lara Trump doubles down on the idea that Trump is rooting for violence as Trump incites violence in Portland https://t.co/CTcx5l2MF6
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) August 30, 2020
Trump and his allies have, its worth noting, gone further than cheering from the sidelines. At the recent Republican National Convention, GOP power-players gave accused violent criminals Mark and Patricia McCloskey a speaking slot. The McCloskeys have faced criminal charges of unlawful use of a firearm after waving guns at peaceful protesters who they have totally delusionally claimed posed some kind of imminent threat to their lives.
Biden, in contrast, has attempted to present America with a possible path forward that doesn’t involve trying to use violence for political ends. In an August 31 speech, he said:
‘Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction. It’s wrong in every way… Fires are burning, and we have a president who fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames… This president, long ago, forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cannot stop the violence because for years he has fomented it.’
Check out some of his comments below:
Biden: "You know me. You know my heart, you know my story … ask yourself: do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really? … the simple truth is Trump failed to protect America, so now he's trying to scare America." pic.twitter.com/P8c9BTG0B1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 31, 2020
