Gaslighting: Blaming Left-Wing Violence and Rioting on Trump Is Brazenly Ludicrous
Guy Benson
Posted: Aug 31, 2020 10:25 AM
We're witnessing aggressive gaslighting from a party that just choreographed a national convention that scrupulously avoided any acknowledgment whatsoever of violence, rioting and looting that have wracked various American cities in recent months. Once the violence spilled over into a small city in a swing state and public opinion started to shift, the Biden campaign finally rolled Biden out to condemn non-peaceful actions, which he's occasionally done with perfunctory statements. But his party ignored the issue in their four-night infomercial, elected officials have been bullied by the hard Left into deleting social media posts disavowing violence, and top Biden surrogates have contorted themselves to avoid saying anything too harshly negative about the rioters.
And now they're trying to clean up their mess by deceiving the country. They're blaming Trump for the chaos, disingenuously repeating the mantra that it's all happening in "Trump's America." Well yes, but Trump and Republicans have been unequivocally condemning and decrying this lawlessness for months, lawlessness that is occurring in heavily Democratic cities. Trump has repeatedly offered federal assistance to quell the mayhem, and Democratic governors and mayors have performatively rejected the help, often denying that a problem even exists. This delusion and paralysis has allowed the violence to fester, businesses and property have been destroyed, and people have been assaulted and killed. To pin this on Trump is risible, even if his rhetoric is too often provocative and inflammatory. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield accused the president of "inciting violence," a claim that she struggled to substantiate, despite doubling and tripling down on it after anchor Chris Wallace pushed back:
Bedingfield contrasted this with President Trump, who she accused of “trying to incite violence this entire summer.†This prompted host Chris Wallace to question that assertion, and Bedingfield did not take it back. “You saw Donald Trump go to New Hampshire on Friday and say, you know, ‘protesters my ass.’ He’s had every opportunity to speak as a leader to this nation that is hurting. To speak to people who are struggling, who are trying to rightly seek justice in this moment, but also who are looking around and who are afraid, who see chaos, who see unsettled times.†Wallace again pressed Bedingfield on the claim that Trump incited violence. This time, she unequivocally doubled down on the accusation. “Absolutely, absolutely he has,†she said. “He has encouraged his supporters to go out, to be aggressive. If you heard, you were just discussing with Lara Trump, Kellyanne Conway said it unapologetically it is better for this president if there is more anarchy, more violence, more chaos. He has at every opportunity tried to fan the flames here, and that is the reason we’re living in Donald Trump’s America.â€
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https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2020/08/31/biden-campaign-trump-is-inciting-violence-and-wants-more-unrest-you-know-n2575317
