Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, to speak with the family of Jacob Blake.
During a speech on Thurday, he condemned the looting that has broken out in some cities as protests against police killings of black men have turned violent.
Biden said, “Let’s get something straight here, protesting is protesting, my buddy John Lewis used to say. But none of it justifies looting, burning, or anything else.”
He added, “So regardless of how angry you are, if you loot or you burn, you should be held accountable as someone who does anything else. Period. It just cannot be tolerated across the board.”
Watch Biden’s comment on looting (beginning at 4:15.)
Joe Biden in Kenosha: "Regardless how angry you are, if you loot or you burn, you should be held accountable." pic.twitter.com/pmgsNB5kv8
— The Hill (@thehill) September 3, 2020
President Donald Trump has accused Biden of siding with looters over the past few weeks. In a late August tweet, Trump wrote that Biden is “blaming the Police far more than he’s blaming the Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters, which he could never blame or he would lose the Radical Left Bernie supports!”
But Biden has hit back on the characterization of him as soft on rioters. During a recent speech in Pittsburgh, Biden said, “You know me, you know my heart. You know my story, my family’s story. Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”
The former vice president added, “I want a safe America, safe from COVID, safe from crime and looting. Safe from racially motivated violence, safe from bad cops. Let me be crystal clear, safe from four more years of Donald Trump.”
President Trump has dwelled on the protests, which he considered as helpful to his reelection campaign. Meanwhile, Biden has focused his message on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has crippled the nation, hoping to offer solutions on issues like safely re-opening schools.
