Fox host Chris Wallace fact-checks Trump claim Biden wants to defund police
Chris Wallace #ChrisWallace
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace
Christopher (Chris) WallaceFox’s Wallace to interview Trump on Sunday The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Argentum – California a coronavirus cautionary tale as it retrenches to stave off infections Battle over reopening schools heats up MORE in a new interview shut down President Trump
Donald John TrumpAmash confirms he won’t seek reelection Chicago mayor to White House press secretary: ‘Hey, Karen. Watch your mouth’ Pentagon mulling plan to ban Confederate flag without mentioning it by name: report MORE’s claim that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden
Joe BidenChicago mayor to White House press secretary: ‘Hey, Karen. Watch your mouth’ Democrats instructing lawmakers, delegates to skip national convention Overnight Defense: Space Force chooses 2,410 airmen to join ranks | Fire aboard Navy ship extinguished | Congress backs push for national cyber czar MORE is in favor of defunding the police.
The president blamed a recent rise in violence in Chicago, New York and other major cities on Democratic leadership, saying urban centers are “stupidly run.” When Wallace noted that Democrats have led cities for decades, Trump suggested the increase in killings was because of the defund the police movement.
“It’s gotten totally out of control and it’s really because they want to defund the police, and Biden wants to defund the police,” Trump said in a clip of the interview, which will air in its entirety on Sunday.
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“Sir, he does not,” Wallace interjected.
“Look, he signed a charter with Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersGoya fury underscores Biden need to attract Latino support Teachers’ unions balk at reopening schools, hurting country and Trump Progressive group launches M pro-Biden ad buy targeting young voters MORE,” Trump shot back, referencing a lengthy unity platform unveiled by Biden and the Vermont senator that offers a number of progressive policy proposals.
“And it says nothing about defunding the police,” Wallace said.
“Oh really? It says abolish, it says defund. Let’s go. Get me the charter, please,” Trump said, turning to staff off camera.
NEW: Chris and President Trump sit down to discuss the recent spike in violence in major cities across the country. Tune in Sunday to catch the full interview. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/r7hwgyVhKM
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 17, 2020
Wallace recounted on Fox News that Trump had his staff fetch highlights of the unity pledge from the Biden and Sanders team and found “a lot of things that he objected to that Biden has agreed to. But he couldn’t find any indication — because there isn’t any — that Joe Biden has sought to defund and abolish the police.”
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Hours after the clip was released, Trump followed up on Twitter, insisting that Biden “wants to defund our police,” but he just doesn’t use that exact phrase.
Corrupt Joe Biden wants to defund our police. He may use different words, but when you look at his pact with Crazy Bernie, and other things, that’s what he wants to do. It would destroy America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2020
The president has seized on the “defund the police” slogan over the past month to portray Biden and Democrats as weak on crime and cast himself as the candidate of law and order. The messaging comes as calls for racial justice and policing reform persist in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The Trump campaign unveiled a new ad this week further attempting to tie Biden to the defund the police movement, painting a dystopian picture and warning Americans they “won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”
But Biden has explicitly and repeatedly said that he does not support defunding or abolishing the police. He has signaled he would be in favor of redirecting some funding for law enforcement to mental health programs.
—Updated at 8:29 p.m.