President Donald Trump said he wants his supporters to stay out of protests and let the police handle the situation during a Monday interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.
When asked whether he wants his supporters to “confront” left-wing protesters, the president responded:
“No.No, I don’t want them. I want to leave it to law enforcement. But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people. And they turn on their television set, and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha, before I got involved and stopped it, or they look at Chicago, where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died, or they look at at New York, where violence is up by like, what? 150% … They’re looking at all of this, and they can’t believe it.”
“It’s a peaceful protest. I mean, they were protesting. They weren’t-you know, it’s amazing, they want to protest and they get criticized,” he added.
The president criticized Portland Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler in a Tweet on Monday, calling him a “joke” for his leadership.
“Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn’t clean it up, we will go in and do it for them.”
Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn’t clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2020
The president’s tweet came after Wheeler rejected the president’s offer to send in federal help.
Biden said Trump was “stoking violence in our cities” during speech in Pittsburgh Monday, according to CBS News. (RELATED: Joe Biden Stumbles Trying To Describe Impact Of COVID-19)
“Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames,” Biden said in his speech. “But we must not burn. We have to build. This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can’t stop the violence because for years he’s fomented it.”