‘He is rooting for this’
Joe Biden has accused President Trump of “encouraging” the race riots because they’re “a political benefit” to his reelection campaign. Repeating identical talking points in Thursday appearances on CNN and MSNBC, Biden claimed that Trump is “absolutely” rooting for violence on the streets of America. “He views this as a political benefit to him. He’s rooting for more violence,” Biden told MSNBC. “He’s encouraging this. He’s not diminishing it at all. This is his America now.” The former vice president quoted Trump aide Kellyanne Conway saying that chaos would be better for their side. “When has a president ever — a spokesperson for the president ever said something like that?” Biden asked. Biden said he is open to visiting Wisconsin following days of violent protests there after police shot a Black man, but that it would have to be done safely and that he did not want to “become part of the problem. Biden also addressed attacks on the seriousness of his Catholic faith from Catholic allies of Trump. “I think it’s kind of preposterous,” Biden said. “I never miss Mass. It’s part of who I am.” –Bloomberg The former Vice President also addressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s suggestion that he skip debates with Trump, saying “As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have, I’m going to debate him.” “I’m going to be a fact-checker on the floor, while I’m debating him.” Perhaps Biden’s comments were inspired by a Thursday Politico article highlighting how the unrest in Kenosha and other parts of the country are “playing into Trump’s hands.
