Biden slams Trump for failing to act in Jan. 6 uprising: ‘Donald Trump didn’t have the guts’

[ad_1]

“Every day, we rely on law enforcement to save lives. Then on January 6, we relied on law enforcement to save our democracy,” Biden said in remarks delivered virtually during the event. of a conference for black law enforcement officials held in Florida.

“We saw what happened: Capitol Police, DC Metropolitan Police, other law enforcement were attacked and assaulted before our eyes. Bitten. Pulverized. Trampled. Trampled. Lives were lost. been lost,” Biden continued.

“And for three hours, the defeated former President of the United States watched all of this happen as he sat in the comfort of the private dining room next to the Oval Office. brave law enforcement officers were put through hell for three hours, dripping in blood, surrounded by carnage,” Biden said.

Biden has condemned the Jan. 6 attack but does not regularly incorporate it into his public comments. Officials said he watched clips from hearings held by the congressional committee investigating the attack and watched the start of last Thursday’s hearing focused on Trump’s actions that day. -the.

Yet as stage one of the hearings wind down, and as Biden seeks to draw a stronger contrast with Republicans, his comments reflect stronger condemnation of his predecessor for his actions that day.

Testimony heard by the committee last week showed that Trump had resisted calls from his allies and advisers to respond more forcefully to the Capitol riot. He spent the afternoon watching the riot unfold on television.

Later, Trump resisted making remarks to call out the rioters before finally doing so.

In his speech, Biden said those who support the attempt to block election certification cannot call themselves pro-police.

« Face to face with a maddened crowd who believed the lies of the defeated president, the police were heroes that day. Donald Trump did not have the courage to act, » he said. « The brave women and men in blue across the country should never forget that. You can’t be pro-insurgency and pro-cop. You can’t be pro-insurgency and pro-democracy. You can’t be pro-insurgency and pro-America. »

In the speech, which was pre-recorded at the White House, Biden also slammed Florida Republicans for opposing gun control laws that are backed by law enforcement.

“You hear a lot of politicians say how much they love you, how much they care about you, how they will do anything for you,” he said. « In the state you are in today, Governor (Ron) DeSantis, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Rick Scott, all oppose an assault weapons ban. »

« To me, it’s simple. If you can’t support banning weapons of war from American streets, you’re not on the side of the police, » he said.

He noted that he owned two shotguns, but that the Second Amendment is « not an absolute right. »

« When it comes to public safety, the answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to defund the police, » he said.

[ad_2]
cnn en2fr2en

Back to top button