Trump refused to back down on the issue, arguing that the majority of the violence is occurring in cities run exclusively by Democrats. “If you look at Chicago where 53 people were shot and eight people died…it’s crazy what’s going on. He [Biden] doesn’t want to say law and order because he will lose his radical left supporters and once he does that it’s over with,” Trump fired back.
Biden went on to claim that Trump is the one who wants to defund police, claiming his administration wants to cut $400 million in law enforcement assistance. The attempt to paint Trump as anti-law enforcement proved to be a misstep for Biden and was one of Trump’s strongest moments in the debate.
“He has no law enforcement support,” Trump said. Biden denied the allegation that police do not support him, leading Trump to riposte, “Oh really? Who do you have? Name one group that came out and supported you. Go ahead. We have time.” In a lackluster response, Biden said “We don’t have time to do anything.”
The topic eventually led to the riots that have wreaked havoc upon American cities in recent months. Sticking to previous talking points, Trump said that he would gladly end unrest in America’s cities if state governors and mayors would ask him for help, but they haven’t.
