Biden And Trump Tout Law Enforcement Backers, With Some Party Crossovers

TOPLINE

President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday rolled out dueling endorsements from law enforcement groups amid an increased focus on crime and civil unrest in recent weeks, with Biden adding to his already sizable list of Republican backers.

KEY FACTS

Key Background

Trump has sought to pitch himself as the “law and order” president in recent months by adopting hardline stances on enforcing the law during recent periods of civil unrest. He ruffled feathers during the early stages of the George Floyd protests in May when he tweeted “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” and in June, when he threatened to deploy the military to “dominate the streets.” Trump’s tough stance on law enforcement cropped up again in July when Homeland Security officers arrested protesters in Portland by detaining them in unmarked vans.

Crucial Quote

“Joe Biden is not on the side of Law Enforcement, and that was spectacularly evident on my very successful trip yesterday to Kenosha,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday. “We solved the problem quickly, and it was very much appreciated by the people of Wisconsin. Joe Biden wouldn’t know where to begin – a bad record!”

Chief Critic

Biden has accused Trump of inciting violence with his hardline rhetoric. “Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames… he can’t stop the violence because for years he fomented it,” Biden said Monday. On Friday, he accused Trump of focusing on issues like law and order because “he doesn’t want to talk about anything about the job he hasn’t done.”

Big Number

55%. That’s the percent of Americans who feel Biden would keep the country safe, compared to 42% who said Trump, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll of 709 U.S. adults released Friday. Biden is also favored by 20 points on reducing violence and on handling protests, while 55% say Trump’s rhetoric on the protests has made the situation worse. That is in line with an abundance of data showing Trump’s focus on the issue of crime has not benefited him politically.