Biden accused Trump of “fanning the flames of hate and division” in the U.S., encouraging violence and instilling fear to garner support.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden released a lengthy statement on Sunday condemning the violent clashes in Portland, Oregon a day after a man was shot and killed after confrontations between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and President Donald Trump’s supporters. “The deadly violence we saw overnight in Portland is unacceptable. Shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn this violence unequivocally,” Biden said. “I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same.” The Portland police are investigating the shooting of a man who was affiliated with a far-right group. It’s not clear if the shooting was connected to the fights between counter-demonstrators and Trump supporters. Clashes occurred as a large group of Trump supporters drove through downtown Portland in a caravan of hundreds of vehicles Saturday. Videos from the event show protesters hurling things like water bottles at the Trump caravan and Trump supporters shooting protesters with paintballs and what appears to be pepper spray. There have been nightly protests in Portland for more than three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump has repeatedly condemned demonstrators and called for a return to “law and order” in Portland. “We must not become a country at war with ourselves. A country that accepts the killing of fellow Americans who do not agree with you.
