Joe Biden Campaign Says Donald Trump Has ‘Failed To Lead’ In Wake Of Portland Shooting

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, laid the blame for the current violence across America at the feet of Donald Trump, Breitbart reported.

“Part of why we are in the state of chaos that we’re in in this country is because Donald Trump has failed to lead on the coronavirus, he failed to take it seriously from the outset, and he’s failed to be a uniter, he’s failed to lead as we’ve been grappling with this moment of racial injustice in this country.”

Bedingfield painted a contrast between Trump’s leadership and Biden’s. According to the manager, Biden has spent his time as Democratic presidential nominee attempting to bring people together and face the current moment with a “sense of purpose.”

“Which he’s been doing, the exact opposite of what we’ve been seeing from Trump, who’s been trying to incite violence this entire summer,” she said.

Bedingfield noted that Trump encouraged aggression from his supporters and pointed to White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway’s suggestion that chaos and brutality help the real estate mogul’s re-election campaign. According to the Biden official, the disorder Trump is highlighting to make his case for re-election is not linked to Biden but to his own actions and rhetoric.

The Biden campaign’s comments come in the wake of the killing of a man in Portland, Oregon on Saturday. The death came amid a clash between Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters, although it’s unclear if the man — Aaron Danielson — was involved in the dispute. Danielson was allegedly wearing a hat from the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, which brands itself as anti-government and pro-free speech.

As The Inquisitr reported, Biden addressed the incident on Sunday and condemned the violence as unacceptable. He challenged Trump to follow in his footsteps and accused the president of failing in his commitment to quell savagery and unrest. The former vice president previously denounced unlawful acts in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that began after George Floyd’s death at the hands of a former Minneapolis police officer.

Trump was also slammed by Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who claimed the real estate mogul was a significant factor influencing the current brutality and civil unrest in the United States. Conversely, the U.S. leader called Wheeler incompetent and accused him of failing to control his city, which has been the center of protests for months.

Trump is currently pushing to deploy federal troops into Portland against the wishes of Wheeler. The president claims this course of action is necessary to take control of the unrest in the city.