WARHAHL THING.
NO, IT’S VIOLENCE.
VIOLENT.
>> THE PRESIDENT’S TAKING ONE
ANGLE HERE AND DIGGING DEEP.
THE PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, YESTERDAY,
GAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO
PROMOTE HEALING AND UNITY --
>> OH, GREAT, THAT’S GOOD.
>> -- AFTER THE UNREST FOLLOWING
THE POLICE SHOOTING OF JACOB
BLAKE.
YOU WOULD THINK HE MET WITH THE
FAMILY --
>> I’M SURE HE DID.
>> AND WITH LOCAL PASTORS AND
LEADERS AND TRIED TO UNIFY AT A
TIME OF SUCH PAIN.
THE PRESIDENT, INSTEAD, CHOSE TO
PROMOTE HIS CAMPAIGN MESSAGE OF
LAW AND ORDER.
>> BUT WAIT, JOE BIDEN IS ALSO
CONDEMNING VIOLENCE, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
>> LIKE EVERY DAY, IT SEEMS.
>> EVERY DAY.
>> SO, WHY -- OKAY, SO -- ALL
RIGHT, YEAH, WE’RE ALL AGAINST
VIOLENCE.
>> THE PRESIDENT DID NOT --
>> ALL FOR LAW AND ORDER.
>> -- MEET WITH JACOB BLAKE’S
FAMILY, BUT DID SPEAK ALONGSIDE
THE KENOSHA POLICE CHIEF AND
COUNTY SHERIFF.
JONATHAN LAMIRE, YOU AND ZEKE
MILLER NOTE IN YOUR WRITE-UP FOR
THE "ASSOCIATED PRESS," "TRUMP
STOOD AT THE EPICENTER OF THE
LATEST ERUPTION OVER RACIAL
INJUSTICE AND CAME DOWN SQUARELY
ON THE SIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT."
HE DODGED QUESTIONS ABOUT
SYSTEMIC RACISM AND TOOK CREDIT
FOR QUELLING THE VIOLENCE THAT
FOLLOWED BLAKE’S SHOOTING --
>> THAT’S ACTUALLY A LIE.
>> -- WHEN THE GOVERNOR OF
WISCONSIN USED HIS OWN AUTHORITY
TO CALL IN THE NATIONAL GUARD,
IN ADDITION TO FEDERAL
REINFORCEMENT.
THE PRESIDENT MADE CLEAR, EVEN
BEFORE HE ARRIVED IN WISCONSIN
THE PURPOSE OF HIS VISIT.
>> I’M SPEAKING, REALLY, TODAY
I’M THERE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND FOR THE NATIONAL GUARD,
BECAUSE THEY’VE DONE A GREAT JOB
IN KENOSHA.
THEY PUT OUT THE FLAME
IMMEDIATELY.
AS SOON AS THEY CAME IN, BOOM,
THE FLAME WAS GONE.
NOW MAYBE IT WILL START UP
AGAIN, IN WHICH CASE THEY’LL PUT
IT OUT VERY POWERFULLY.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, CAN YOU SPEAK
AT ALL -- YOU’VE SPOKEN A LOT
ABOUT THE ANARCHY THAT YOU’RE
REFERRING TO.
WHAT ABOUT RACIAL DIVISIONS?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BRIDGE SOME OF
THOSE GAPS?
AND DO YOU THINK --
>> YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD.
>> -- THAT ANYTHING YOU’RE
SAYING IS HELPING WITH THAT?
>> I THINK IT’S HELPING BECAUSE
I’M ABOUT LAW AND ORDER.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE SYSTEMIC
RACISM IS A PROBLEM IN THIS
COUNTRY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST KEEP
GETTING BACK TO THE OPPOSITE
SUBJECT.
WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THE KIND OF
VIOLENCE THAT WE’VE SEEN IN
PORTLAND AND HERE AND OTHER
PLACES.
IT’S TREMENDOUS VIOLENCE.
YOU ALWAYS GET TO THE OTHER
SIDE -- WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THIS OR THAT?
THE FACT IS THAT WE’VE SEEN
TREMENDOUS VIOLENCE, AND WE WILL
PUT IT OUT VERY, VERY QUICKLY,
IF GIVEN THE CHANCE, AND THAT’S
WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT JOKE.
THEY’RE UNDER TREMENDOUS -- I’VE
SAID IT YESTERDAY -- I SAID IT
LAST NIGHT -- THEY’RE UNDER
TREMENDOUS PRESSURE, AND THEY
MAY BE THERE FOR 15 YEARS AND
HAVE A SPOTLESS RECORD, AND ALL
OF A SUDDEN, THEY’RE FACED WITH
A DECISION.
THEY HAVE A QUARTER OF A SECOND,
QUARTER OF A SECOND TO MAKE A
DECISION, AND IF THEY MAKE A
WRONG DECISION ONE WAY OR THE
OTHER, THEY’RE EITHER DEAD OR
THEY’RE IN BIG TROUBLE.
AND PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
THAT.
THEY CHOKE SOMETIMES.
>> YEAH.
SO, JUST LIKE A THREE-FOOT PUTT.
BUT AGAIN, THE THING IS, DONALD
TRUMP’S DEBATING HIMSELF HERE.
YOU ACTUALLY HAVE JOE BIDEN
WHO’S CRITICIZING VIOLENCE DAY
IN AND DAY OUT --
>> BUT NO MENTION OF JACOB
BLAKE?
>> BUT JOE BIDEN IS ABLE TO DO
TWO THINGS AT ONCE.
HE’S ABLE TO DO TWO THINGS AT
ONCE.
HE’S ABLE TO CONDEMN THE
VIOLENCE AND ALSO TALK ABOUT THE
NEED FOR REFORM.
YOU CAN DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE,
BUT DONALD TRUMP, SADLY, AS THE
"NATIONAL REVIEW" SAID, IS NOT
BILINGUAL IN TERMS OF, HE CAN’T
TALK ABOUT TWO THINGS AT ONCE.
HE CAN’T TALK ABOUT --
>> YEAH, HE WON’T.
>> AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, JOE BIDEN
ALSO TALKED ABOUT COPS
YESTERDAY, SAID, MAINLY GOOD
COPS, AND HE UNDERSTANDS EVERY
TIME THEY PUT ON A BADGE AND GO
OUT, THEY’RE PUTTING THEIR LIVES
AT RISK.
SO, YOU HAVE DONALD TRUMP, OF
COURSE, DOING WHAT JOE BIDEN’S
DOING AND TALKING ABOUT THE
DIFFICULT JOB THAT LAW
ENFORCEMENT HAS, EXCEPT DONALD
TRUMP WON’T TALK ABOUT THE OTHER
SIDE OF THINGS, REFUSES EVEN TO
DISCUSS SYSTEMIC RACISM.
AND THE ONLY THING HE SAID ABOUT
THE 29-YEAR-OLD THAT GOT SHOT IS
THAT HE FEELS QUITE TERRIBLY FOR
ANYONE WHO HAS TO GO THROUGH
THAT.
IT’S VERY INTERESTING THAT ALSO,
JOHN THAT LAMERE, AS YOU POINTED
OUT IN THE "AP" ARTICLE, DONALD
TRUMP KEEPS LYING.
I KNOW THIS IS NOT A SHOCK.
BUT WHAT’S A SHOCK IS THAT SOME
PEOPLE ARE STILL STUPID ENOUGH
TO BELIEVE HIM.
BUT HE KEEPS LYING ABOUT THE
NATIONAL GUARD, TALKS ABOUT,
WELL, WHEN I CALLED OUT THE
NATIONAL GUARD TO WISCONSIN.
IT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS.
DONALD TRUMP DIDN’T CALL OUT THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
HE AND HIS SUPPORTERS, INCLUDING
FORMER GOVERNORS IN THAT STATE,
CAN LIE ALL THEY WANT, BUT IT
DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT THE
CURRENT DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF
WISCONSIN IS THE ONE WHO CALLED
OUT THE NATIONAL GUARD,
SOMETHING THAT THE DEMOCRATIC
GOVERNOR OF OREGON SHOULD HAVE
DONE A VERY LONG TIME AGO.
BUT LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT THAT
PART OF THE LIE, THAT PART OF
DONALD TRUMP’S MISINFORMATION
CAMPAIGN, ABOUT THE FACT THAT
HE’S THE ONE WHO CALLED OUT THE
NATIONAL GUARD AND THINGS
IMMEDIATELY CALMED DOWN.
>> WELL, JOE, FIRST OF ALL, AS
BEST WE CAN TELL IN THE FEW
HOURS THE PRESIDENT SPENT ON THE
GROUND YESTERDAY, HE DID NOT
FACE ANYONE ARMED WITH A CAN OF
FRENCH ONION OR MINESTRONE.
>> THANK GOD.
>> SO THAT IS A POSITIVE
TAKEAWAY FROM YESTERDAY’S EVENT.
BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE LITTLE
EFFORT HERE TO DO ANY SORT OF
HEALING ACROSS THE DIVIDE OR
ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING
ISSUES, WHAT LED TO THIS
VIOLENCE.
TO YOUR POINT FIRST.
THAT’S CORRECT.
THE PRESIDENT, OF COURSE, FOR A
FEW DAYS, WAS CALLING FOR THE
NATIONAL GUARD TO BE USED.
HE HAS -- THAT HAS BEEN HIS SORT
OF REFLEXIVE GO-TO INSTINCT
THROUGHOUT ANY TIMES WE’VE SEEN
SCENES OF UNREST, FRANKLY,
DATING BACK SINCE THE GEORGE
FLOYD PROTESTS KICKED OFF IN
LATE MAY.
BUT IT WAS THE DEMOCRATIC
WISCONSIN GOVERNOR, HE WAS THE
ONE WHO MADE THE DECISION.
HE SUMMONED THE NATIONAL GUARD.
BUT THE PRESIDENT WAS QUICK
YESTERDAY, AS WE SAW, TO TAKE
CREDIT FOR THAT, SUGGESTING THAT
THAT WAS WHAT HAS LED TO THINGS
TO CALM DOWN IN KENOSHA THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS.
SO, WE CAN FACT-CHECK HIM VERY
EASILY THERE, THAT HE DID NOT DO
THAT, THE GOVERNOR DID.
BUT THIS IS ANOTHER MOMENT.
WE’VE ALWAYS SEEN THIS PRESIDENT
HAVE REAL TROUBLE TRYING TO
REACH ACROSS ANY SORT OF CHASM
HERE TO THE OTHER SIDE.
HE OFFERED VERY LITTLE
UNDERSTANDING, FRANKLY, ALL
SUMMER LONG, ABOUT THE IDEA OF
RACIAL INJUSTICE, WHAT FUELED
ALL OF THESE PROTESTS.
HE MENTIONED, AS WE’VE SAID,
JACOB BLAKE’S NAME NOT ONCE.
HE WAS PRESSED REPEATEDLY IN
QUESTIONING WHY HE DIDN’T TALK
TO THE FAMILY.
HE SAID THAT HE HAD TALKED TO A
PASTOR WHO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH
THE FAMILY AND THAT THEY WANTED
A LAWYER TO BE PART OF THE
MEETING.
HE DIDN’T WANT TO DO THAT.
>> I DIDN’T THINK THE FAMILY --
>> YESTERDAY HE SUGGESTED THAT
THE MOTHER, YOU KNOW, WAS A VERY
NICE WOMAN BY ALL ACCOUNTS BUT
DID NOT PICK UP THE PHONE TO
SPEAK TO HER.
AND HE ALSO GAVE NO CREDENCE AT
ALL TO THE UNDERLYING ISSUES.
HE ADDRESSED THE IDEA OF POLICE
VIOLENCE ON BLACK MEN NOT ONCE.
HE SIDED SOLELY WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT, PLAYING INTO WHAT,
OF COURSE, WAS AT ITS START A
POLITICAL VISIT.
THIS IS THE ARGUMENT HE HAS BEEN
MAKING.
THIS IS THE ARGUMENT THEY WANT
TO MAKE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS UNDER
THE CONTROL OF THE RADICAL LEFT.
IT’S THOSE FORCES THAT ARE
TEARING AMERICAN CITIES APART
AND PRESIDENT TRUMP STRONG WITH
