Fact check: Trump makes more false allegations about Biden and protests

Fact check: Trump makes more false allegations about Biden and protests

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He did ask about six minutes of questions. But he devoted the first 20 minutes to a de facto campaign event – another extensive Trump attack on Democratic nominee Joe Biden, which he tried to link to insurgents, even after Biden unequivocally told them during a speech earlier in the day. deny it.
Trump criticized Biden’s speech because he did not specifically identify leftists or Antifa as responsible for the violence that exposes Biden. But Trump himself has refused to condemn violence by his conservative supporters. He offered a preliminary defense against Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with the murder of two people and the injury of one during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and claims that Rittenhouse acted to defend himself.

We will not try to rule on the matter in a quick fact check. But Trump also made a number of allegations that were clearly false or misleading.

Trump claimed that the nominee did not mention violence from the far left during Biden’s speech and that he blamed[d]”police.

“He did not make the whole left-wing statement, or from what I have seen, I do not believe he mentioned the word ‘Antifa,'” Trump said. “But it seems to be blaming the police and law enforcement.”

Facts first:It is true that Biden did not condemn ‘Antifa’ or the ‘far left’ in this speech, but he did issue a broad condemnation of riots and looting. It is unclear what Trump believes Biden accused the police of. According to Biden, most police are ‘good and decent people’, but condemn the police’s cruelty.

Before strongly condemning riots, he campaigned against ‘The violence of extremists and opportunists – right-wing militias, white supremacists, vigilantes – who are waging war-torn protests, hoping to wreak havoc and derail any hope and support for progress . . ”

Pray continued. “I want to make it absolutely clear … rioting is not protest, looting is protesting. Making fire is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It is lawlessness, simple and straightforward.”

In a statement on Sunday, Biden condemned[ed] violence of any kind by anyone, whether left or right who challenges Trump to do the same.

About the police, Biden spoke out against ‘violence we’ve seen time and time again from unfair police shootings [and] excessive force, “citing the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and the recent shooting of Jacob Blake. Biden also noted that ‘most police are good and decent people.’

“I worked with the police in this country for many years,” Biden said. “I know most police are good, decent people. I know how they risk their lives every time they put up the shield and go out the door. And I am confident that I can bring the police to the table as well.”

Demonstrations in Portland

Trump said of Portland, “The whole city is on fire all the time.”

Facts first: This is false. While protesters set fire to some of the nightly protests in Portland, and while some of the protests involved violence, these problems were largely confined to a small portion of the city near the federal courthouse; most Portland residents were able to lead their normal lives.

Josh Campbell, a correspondent for CNN’s law enforcement in the field in Portland and a former FBI investigating agent, told us in an email to Trump’s news conference: “To insist that it be a burning city ​​is, is a lie. ”

“Portland is not a city under siege. Today I went to a Starbucks downtown, had lunch at one of the city’s famous food vehicles in the city, and bought a new pair of shoes at the mall. As I write this “I’m looking out of my hotel room on a bike ride outside downtown,” Campbell said.

“To be sure, there have been more than 90 days of protests – peaceful during the day and some becoming violent at night – but the riots were largely confined to one city block in the city center near the federal courthouse. Last night, protesters showed up at a police station. “Several kilometers from the city center and were dispersed by the police after some protesters started throwing police vehicles at eggs and stones. There was periodic, localized violence, but nothing widespread.”

Chicago Violence

Commendable Operation Legend, where the FBI provided federal resources to support law enforcement efforts to address violent crime in nine cities, Trump claimed “in the last month alone, we have halved the Chicago homicide rate.”

Facts first: Trump has been fairly accurate about the recent decline, although it is not clear that federal agents are primarily responsible for the monthly decline. Chicago experienced the city deadliest month in over 25 years.
At this time last year, there were 352 homicides in Chicago for 2019. As of Sunday, there were 497 homicides in Chicago for 2020. The Tribune reports that by the end of July, there were 440 homicides, meaning 57 people were killed in August. Compared to 107 murders in July, this is a decrease of about 47%.
Trump attributes this decline to the more than 100 federal agents who arrived in Chicago in late July as part of Operation Legend.

Biden’s comments on rioters

Trump claims Biden told a ‘monstrous lie’ by describing vandalism, anarchy, rioting and looting as a ‘peaceful’ protest.

Facts first: This is false. Pray it correctly noticed that many protesters were peaceful; he did not argue that the violent protesters were peaceful. He rather repeatedly denounced violence, rioting and looting.

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