Democratic presidential nomineeĀ Joe BidenāsĀ campaign announced that he will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, following days of unrest that erupted after the shooting of Jacob Blake.
The campaign said in a statement that Biden and his wife Jill Biden would visit the city on Thursday.
The statement continued, āVice President Biden will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face.ā
The decision to visit comes days afterĀ Politico reportedĀ that Bidenās campaign was not planning a visit to Kenosha.Ā The campaign reportedly wanted to distance the former vice president from the unrest in the city as he accused PresidentĀ Donald TrumpĀ of inciting violence around the country.
In a speech on Monday, Biden said, ā doesnāt want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and heās stoking violence in our cities. He canāt stop the violence because for years heās fomented it.ā
During an event on Wednesday, Biden was asked about his upcoming visit by a reporter who noted that local officials in Wisconsin have stated their desire that neither presidential candidate visit Kenosha at this time.Ā
When asked why he believes now is an appropriate time for the visit, Biden responded, āThereās been overwhelming requests that I do come. Because we want to do is, weāve got to heal.ā
He continued, āWeāve got to put things together. Bring people together. And so my purpose in going will be to do just that, to be a positive influence on whatās going on.ā
Watch Bidenās response below:
Biden added that he will meet with community leaders, business owners, and Law Enforcement officials in Kenosha and ātalk about what need be done.ā
On Tuesday, Trump traveled to Kenosha to survey the damage that resulted from the violent demonstrations in the city and voice his support for Law Enforcement.
During his visit, Trump met with local business leaders and said, āTo stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology. ⦠We have to condemn the dangerous anti-police rhetoric.ā
Trumpās campaign blasted Biden for traveling to Kenosha after calling off plans to travel to the state earlier this month to officially accept his partyās nomination for president.
The campaignās Director of Communications Tim Murtaugh asked, āHow is it that Joe Biden can fly to Wisconsin tomorrow, but he was unable to fly to Wisconsin two weeks ago to accept the nomination?ā
