Donald Trump attacks Joe Biden on law and order amid race riots

Donald Trump says Joe Biden would be a ‘weak’ president in dealing with unrest in America’s Democrat-controlled cities.

A sofa set on fire by protesters burns in a street in West Philadelphia. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump has used violent riots in Philadelphia to attack Joe Biden on law and order, saying he would be a ‘weak’ president in dealing with unrest in America’s Democrat-controlled cities.

But Mr Biden also condemned the violence, saying there was “no excuse” for looting and rioting.

The two nights of riots, which followed another fatal police shooting of an African American man, has propelled law and order to the forefront of the campaign only days before the November 3 poll.

Police reported over 300 incidents of looting and at least 81 arrests in Philadelphia after Walter Wallace, who suffered from mental health issues, was shot by police as he approached them with a knife.

The moment Walter Wallace Jr, 27, was shot and killed by police officers in Philadelphia.

Mr Trump said it was a terrible event and blamed Democrat authorities for the not cracking down on the looting that erupted.

“The mayor or whoever it is that’s allowing people to riot and loot and not stop them is also just a horrible thing... a Democrat-run state, a Democrat-run city,” he said.

Mr Trump attacked Mr Biden, claiming: “This is a group that he supports. He doesn’t want to condemn them. You have to condemn, you have to be strong. You can’t have chaos like that. And he’ll be very, very weak.”

“The problem is Joe’s all talk and no action. You got to have some action.”

But Mr Biden was quick to condemn the violence.

“I think to be able to protest is totally legitimate, totally reasonable,” Mr Biden said. “But there’s no excuse for the looting.”

“I think that the looting is just as the victim’s father said, ‘Do not do this ... You’re not helping. You’re hurting. You’re not helping my son,’” he said.

Mr Trump has been promoting himself as a law and order president, with his advisers hoping that it will help him improve his low poll ratings with suburban women.

With under a week to go until next Wednesday’s election (AEDT), Mr Trump held two campaign rallies in Arizona, a state that he won by 3.5 points in 2016 but where Mr Biden currently leads by 2.2 points.

“I’m not just running against Joe Biden – I’m running against the left-wing media, the Big Tech giants, and the wretched Washington Swamp,” he told a rally in Bullhead City. “They have nothing but disdain for you and your values.”

Mr Biden gave a speech in his hometown of Wilmington Delaware focusing on healthcare and the coronavirus, two issues which he believes will hurt the president on Election Day.

“In two short weeks, exactly one week after the election, President Trump’s Administration will make its case, asking the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety,” Mr Biden said. “Let me say that again — they are arguing that the entire law must fall — which would strip 20 million Americans of their health insurance overnight and rip away protections for pre-existing conditions from more than 100 million people in the middle of another upswing of a pandemic.”

Mr Biden has attacked the president each day on the coronavirus which is surging across the US with more than 80,000 new infections each day.

US President Donald Trump arrives for a Make America Great Again rally at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport. Picture: AFP

“The refusal of the Trump administration to recognise the reality we’re living through at a time when almost 1,000 Americans are dying every single day is an insult to every single person suffering from COVID-19, and to every family who has lost a loved one,” he said

Mr Biden is leading Mr Trump by 7.5 points nationally but many key swing states are closely fought with polls showing a virtual tie in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia. Meanwhile the huge turnout in early voting continues with more than 73 million votes already cast through mail in or early in person voting – 53 per cent of the total vote in 2016.

Registered Democrats, who are more inclined to vote by mail are outvoting Republicans but Trump supporters are expected to show up strongly on the day of the poll.

Mr Trump has warned that a large mail in vote could lead to fraud and said that he wants to see a result on election night.

“hopefully the few states remaining that want to take a lot of time after November 3 to count ballots, that won’t be allowed by the various courts,’ he said in Las Vegas on Thursday (AEDT).

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said Mr Trump was ‘just trying to gin up his base so that he can save face when he suffers a defeat that is coming toward him.’

“The easiest thing for him to do is to stand up like a man and accept the results of an election of the American people,’ she said.

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia