President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appear to be in agreement that police should continue to receive support in the face of widespread calls to defund city police departments.
“There won’t be defunding,” Trump said during a meeting with law enforcement leaders at the White House, according to The Hill .
“There won’t be dismantling of our police, and there’s not going to be any disbanding of our police. Our police have been letting us live in peace…”
The president went on to say that he believed “99 percent” of law enforcement officers are “great people.”
Democrats want to DEFUND, DISMANTLE, & DISSOLVE America’s police.
President @realDonaldTrump stands staunchly against this astonishingly radical and amazingly counterproductive idea that would jeopardize the safety of Americans! pic.twitter.com/4ND1C4KeGe
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) June 9, 2020
“As his criminal justice proposal made clear months ago, Vice President Biden does not believe that police should be defunded,” said Andrew Bates, a spokesperson from the Biden campaign, according to another report by The Hill .
“He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain.”
Bates went on to say that the Democratic presidential candidate does support those calling for reform of the public school systems as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, but believes that they should be funded separately from the police force so officers “can focus on the job of policing.”
Trump administration press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that the president is “appalled” by the calls to defund the police and even more staunchly against the pledges from mayors of Los Angeles and New York City to cut funds to police.
Biden’s stance in favor of police funding came after Trump took aim at him on Twitter, saying that the former vice president does not support law enforcement, as the two are locked in a struggle to win the White House in November.
Sleepy Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats want to “DEFUND THE POLICE”. I want great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT. I want LAW & ORDER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020
Not only will Sleepy Joe Biden DEFUND THE POLICE, but he will DEFUND OUR MILITARY! He has no choice, the Dems are controlled by the Radical Left.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020
Trump could be looking at a tough fight, however, as public support for the current president seems to be decreasing. The Inquisitr reported that Biden has increased his lead in the polls against the Republican incumbent with a recent CNN poll showing Biden in the lead by 14 points.
The president, however, appears to have taken the lead in the number of his supporters who are enthusiastic about voting in the November election. Reportedly about 73 percent of the president’s supporters said they are either extremely or very enthusiastic about turning out for Trump in November while 69 percent of Biden’s likely voters said the same.