On Monday morning, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden issued a tweet insinuating that if he is elected, the current violence around the country will stop, but if President Trump is elected it will continue.
Biden tweeted, “Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?”
Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 31, 2020
Biden’s claim that he is the proper candidate to stop the violence from people who generally promote left-wing causes, particularly Black Lives Matter and defunding the police, contradicts a prediction made by his choice of a vice-presidential candidate. In June, Senator Kamala Harris told Stephen Colbert that the protests were “Not gonna stop.”
Colbert said, “I know there are protests still happening in major cities across the United States.”
Harris, smiling, interjected, “Yes.”
“I’m just not seeing the reporting on it that I had for the first few weeks,” Colbert added.
Harris answered, “That’s right. But they’re not gonna stop, They’re not gonna stop,” as she continued excitedly, “This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not gonna stop.”
“And everyone beware, because they’re not gonna stop, I’m telling you,” she warned. “They’re not gonna stop before Election Day in November and they’re not gonna stop after Election Day. And that should be — everyone should take note of that on both levels, that this isn’t gonna let up. And they should not. And we should not.”
FLASHBACK: As violent rioting continues across Democrat controlled cities, Kamala Harris' comments from June are striking: Protesters "should not" let up.
Does Harris believe the rioting and rampant vandalism in Kenosha should let up? pic.twitter.com/hqkLmC5nRu
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 27, 2020
On Sunday, Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) slammed Biden for his tweet commenting on a deadly shooting in Portland, Oregon, in which an apparent right-wing protester was shot to death, “The deadly violence we saw overnight in Portland is unacceptable. Shooting in the streets of a great American city is unacceptable. I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same.”
Crenshaw fired back at Biden, “Too little too late. The left wing militants have been at war in America’s cities for MONTHS and you’re only commenting now because the polling told you to.”
Too little too late. The left wing militants have been at war in America’s cities for MONTHS and you’re only commenting now because the polling told you to. https://t.co/LifIyQ3gZQ
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 30, 2020
As The Daily Wire reported:
Biden later seemed to suggest that Trump and Trump’s supporters were responsible for the death of the right-wing protester in Portland last night, writing: “As a country, we must condemn the incitement of hate and resentment that led to this deadly clash. It is not a peaceful protest when you go out spoiling for a fight. What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters? He is recklessly encouraging violence. He may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong – but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is. He may think that war in our streets is good for his reelection chances, but that is not presidential leadership – or even basic human compassion.”
Biden did not list a single example of Trump “fanning the flames of hate and division,” and there is no evidence that “his supporters” were responsible for the death of the right-wing protester in Portland.