Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden now says he condemns the violence raging in Portland, saying he challenges President Donald Trump to “do the same.”
“I condemn this violence unequivocally. I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same,” Biden said in a statement Sunday.
“It does not matter if you find the political views of your opponents abhorrent, any loss of life is a tragedy. Today there is another family grieving in America, and Jill and I offer our deepest condolences,” he added, referring to a Trump supporter who was killed by Black Lives Matter rioters late last week.
Unfortunately for the former vice president, he must not be getting much internet service in his basement, given that Trump has been condemning the riots for the past three months – up to and including offering to send in the National Guard to help keep things under control, an offer repeatedly refused by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. In fact, much of Trump's criticism aimed at the destructive riots has been challenged by the left and the liberal media, who've repeatedly attempted to paint the unrest as "mostly peaceful protests" led by Black Lives Matter activists, which somehow only turn violent when mysterious (and as of yet, unidentified) white nationalists show up.
On Sunday, just as Biden was accusing him of not condemning the violence, Trump slammed Wheeler on Twitter for allowing a “lawless situation” to “go on forever” in Portland.
Ted Wheeler, the wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland, who has watched great death and destruction of his City during his tenure, thinks this lawless situation should go on forever. Wrong! Portland will never recover with a fool for a Mayor....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020
....He tried mixing with the Agitators and Anarchists and they mocked him. He would like to blame me and the Federal Government for going in, but he hasn’t seen anything yet. We have only been there with a small group to defend our U.S. Courthouse, because he couldn’t do it....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020
The tweet thread is one of dozens of social media statements the president has posted in recent months condemning the violence in Portland and in other cities across the country, including a statement directly recognizing the Trump supporter who was killed.