Politics

‘What About Seeing Joe Biden?’: Dana Perino Asks Campaign Press Sec. If They’re ‘Ceding This Ground’ To Trump

Screenshot/Fox News

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
Font Size:

Fox News host Dana Perino asked Wednesday whether former Vice President Joe Biden was “ceding this ground to President Trump” by not making a statement about riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Perino spoke with the Biden campaign’s national press secretary TJ Ducklo about the campaign and the unrest in Kenosha, wondering whether Biden’s decision to not speak on the subject could hurt him. (RELATED: ‘Joe Biden Should Not Concede Under Any Circumstances’: Hillary Clinton Says Biden Should Prepare For A Legal Battle)

WATCH:

“There was another police shooting followed by violence and looting,” Perino began, noting that multiple businesses have been looted and burned. “As the press secretary, do you worry that you are ceding all of this ground to President Trump while Vice President Biden doesn’t make a comment on it?”

“Vice President Biden and Senator Harris and our campaign’s thoughts are with all of those who are suffering right now in Wisconsin,” Ducklo replied, saying that Biden has always been clear in his position on the issue.

“Violence is never acceptable. Needlessly endangering communities and families is never acceptable. Those shots that rang out Sunday, Vice President Biden said that they pierced the soul of this nation,” Ducklo continued, stressing the importance of peaceful protest in a free society and adding, “We cannot let violence diminish the reason why these protests happen.”

“I could not name a single day in July that I thought that the Trump team had won a news cycle,” Perino switched gears then, turning back to the campaign and saying that as August came to an end, things appeared to be the other way around. “When there is violence, that story rises to the top, you know that. What about seeing Joe Biden? Hearing him? Understanding — how he would lead if he became president?”

“Dana, Vice President Biden has shown leadership on this issue all throughout the summer,” Ducklo insisted, saying that Biden’s campaign had already put forward a plan to address systemic racism.

“Do you think that Vice President Biden would have supported Senator Tim Scott’s proposed legislation to deal with that?” Perino pushed back.

Ducklo did not answer directly, saying instead that a Biden administration would put forward a plan to address the issue and pivoting to attack the Republican National Convention. “I think a lot of what we are seeing from the other side, from Donald Trump and from the Republicans, is this sort of dark view of the world. Not a lot of solutions,” he said.