Democrats are increasingly worried Trump's 'law and order' message is resonating with swing-state voters
- Democrats are said to have warned Joe Biden's advisers that President Donald Trump's "law and order" message and images of unrest in American cities risk alienating supporters in Midwest swing states.
- Biden has backed anti-racism protests, but during a speech in Pittsburgh he condemned violence and looting that has erupted in some cities.
- A recent Politico poll found support for anti-racism protests declining since June — especially among Republicans — which may reflect Trump's attacks.
Democrats have told top advisers to the party's presidential nominee, Joe Biden, that President Donald Trump's "law and order" message and images of disorder during anti-racism protests risk undermining Biden in Midwestern swing states, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, Biden's campaign was caught off guard by unrest last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of Jacob Blake and violence between Trump supporters and counterprotesters in Portland, Oregon.
It swiftly responded by scheduling a series of events for the presidential candidate in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Minnesota voted Democratic in 2016, but party strategists are said to fear that it's among the most vulnerable blue-leaning states in November.
The Republicans narrowly flipped Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin in 2016, and retaining the support of their white working-class voters is key for Trump if he is to win again in November.
Biden delivered a nationally televised speech on Monday in Pittsburgh, where he both denounced violence at protests and defended Americans' right to demonstrate against racial injustice.
"I want to be very clear about all of this," he said. "Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change — it will only bring destruction. It's wrong in every way."
Trump in turn visited Kenosha on Tuesday, inspecting buildings burned to the ground in the unrest following Blake's shooting and seeking to pin the blame for the violence on Biden.
The Trump campaign has relentlessly focused in recent weeks on civil unrest and violence at anti-racism protests, using much of last week's Republican National Convention to portray Trump as the last bastion of law and order.
Trump has sought to portray the protests as the work of Democratic-backed left-wing extremists and agitators.
He has attacked the Black Lives Matter movement in interviews and has refused to condemn a 17-year-old supporter accused of fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha.
Recent polls have indicated that the surge in support for the anti-racism protests that swept America since the killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis in May has declined.
A poll by Politico and Morning Consult released Wednesday showed support for Black Lives Matter down 9 percentage points since June. At the same time, respondents also said Biden was more suited than Trump to handle public safety.
On the same day, a national poll by Reuters and Ipsos found that the coronavirus pandemic was still the US public's top concern and that a majority remained sympathetic to anti-racism protests.