Biden blames Trump for Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot: ‘Words of a president matter’

Joseph R. Biden pointed a finger Thursday at President Trump following the news that the FBI had thwarted a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Mr. Biden said it shows the “words of a president matter.”

The FBI announced it had arrested 13 men they say planned to kidnap and kill Mrs. Whitmer.

The Michigan Democrat’s clashes with Mr. Trump and strict response to the coronavirus has made her a polarizing figure and has angered voters in her state.

“There is no place for hate in America, and both of us have been talking about this for some time, about how these white supremacists and these militias are a genuine threat,” Mr. Biden told reporters in Arizona, standing alongside his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris. “Look, the words of a president matter.”

Mr. Biden said the rhetoric from a president can cause the stock market to rise and fall and be the difference between war and peace.

“But they can also breathe oxygen into those who are filled with hate and danger,” he said. “I just think it has to stop. The president has to realize the words he utters matters.”

Mr. Biden complimented the FBI and law enforcement officials for thwarting the alleged plot.

Mr. Biden said he and Ms. Harris talked to Mrs. Whitmer, and said the governor feels safe.

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