Trump’s Law and Order Distortions
President Donald Trump made false and misleading statements in an attempt to contrast his stance on law enforcement with that of Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent in the presidential race:
- The president claimed in an Oct. 10 campaign rally at the White House — his first campaign event since he contracted COVID-19 — that in the presidential debate, Biden “couldn’t even use the words law enforcement.” He did.
- Trump also claimed that Biden said, “When you call 911, a therapist should answer the call.” He didn’t. Biden said mental health experts should accompany police on some calls, a policy Trump also supported in a June executive order.
Trump made his claims from a White House balcony, addressing a crowd of supporters on the South Lawn, in the event organized by the conservative group Blexit, which calls for Black Americans to exit the Democratic Party. And he repeated some of the claims in an Oct. 12 campaign rally in Florida.
The president’s reelection campaign has cultivated a “law and order” theme, falsely portraying Biden as a supporter of defunding the police. Biden
