Protests and arrests on college campuses exploded onto the front lines of the presidential race this week, opening new avenues of attack for Republicans and forcing President Biden to directly address issues that have divided the party's liberal wing. was forced to.
With Donald J. Trump mostly stuck in a New York City courtroom in one of his criminal trials, Republicans are trying to use the protests as a political cudgel and a literal backdrop to attack Biden. They brand him weak and unable to maintain control. country's.
The White House has largely resisted getting into the fray in recent weeks, avoiding campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza. Biden, who has never been involved in student protests, had little comment to reporters about the rapidly evolving situation. His White House provided no public assistance to university administrators or protesting students.
But as clashes on some campuses have become increasingly destructive and arrests have increased across the country, Mr. Biden has distanced himself from some of the more radical activists on campus. In his remarks Thursday, he said he struck a balance between defending free speech and explaining what he considers the limits of acceptable protest.
“Dissent is essential to our democracy,” Biden said in brief comments from the White House. “However, dissenting opinions must never lead to causing disruption or denying the rights of others so that students can finish their semesters and complete their college educations.”
The scope of the statement was limited. The president has made it clear that he has no intention of changing his Middle East policy because of the protests. Asked if the National Guard should intervene, he quickly answered “no.” Nor did he address concerns raised by some progressives that police may have used excessive force against demonstrators.
Biden campaign advisers believe the issue is unlikely to have a significant negative impact on the president in the election. The situation in the Gaza Strip remains highly fluid as U.S. officials continue to work toward a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and the situation in the Gaza Strip remains highly fluid, with similar political tensions likely to emerge by the time voters head to the polls in November. It may not resonate. In the coming weeks, students will leave campus for summer vacation, which many believe will help reduce the intensity of the protests to some extent.
None of that stopped Republicans from pouncing on Biden's comments. They accused the president of being reluctant to take stronger action to quell the continuing unrest.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said in a statement on social media Thursday that “President Biden has no intention *yet* to forcefully denounce the Hamas mob on campus” and protest. They accused the participants of supporting groups considered terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. The United States and its many allies. “A complete lack of leadership from an ineffective president.”
Trump's campaign is even more directly placing the blame on Biden. “This is chaos on Biden’s campus,” an Instagram post distributed by the former president’s account read, adding that Biden defended the rights of protesters at some of his events. Video was also included.
The White House denied that the president felt political pressure to comment on the protests.
“When it comes to something like this, the president doesn't have to follow anyone or anyone else,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with the president on Air Force One. he said. “When it comes to violence, I think we've consistently maintained that violence is not protected.”
As protests spread to universities across the country, Mr. Biden has been the most forceful in condemning anti-Semitism on campuses. On Tuesday, he will deliver the keynote address at an annual ceremony hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Critics from both parties are calling on the administration to do more. And at times, the debate over this issue has become highly contentious within the Democratic Party.
Last week, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida called for addressing the rise in anti-Semitic incidents by highlighting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' bill to end military aid to Israel. suggested that they were avoiding it.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York fired back, accusing Moskowitz of her “shameful” treatment of Sanders, whose family was killed in the Holocaust.
“My family was killed in the Holocaust, too. In Germany and in Poland. My grandmother was in the kindergarten shuttle. They instilled values in me,” Moskowitz replied. Ta. “That's why I voted for aid to Israel and aid to Gaza.”
Still, some Democrats have warned that the unrest on campus could dampen young voters' enthusiasm for Mr. Biden. Already, polls show that Biden is struggling to maintain the same level of support he received from young voters in 2020.
On Wednesday, the party's student wing, the College Democrats of America, issued a warning to the Biden campaign on social media.
“Democrats should not take College Democrats' votes for granted,” the group said. “We reserve the right to criticize the party if it does not listen to us.”
Even among young voters, the issue of Israel's war in Gaza takes precedence over other concerns such as the economy, abortion rights, and health care. A poll conducted last month by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics found that “Israel/Palestine” ranked 15th on the list of concerns for voters ages 18 to 29, not just inflation and housing, but also climate. It was also found that freedom of change, freedom of speech, and protection were lower. Democracy.
The Republican strategy mirrors Mr. Trump's efforts during the 2020 campaign, when protests over racial justice erupted across the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
At the time, Trump suggested that Biden would be “open to the following.”anarchist, thug, agitator” His campaign spent millions of dollars on ads in battleground states that falsely attacked Biden for supporting defunding the police.
In response, Biden strongly condemned the occasional outbreaks of violence. “Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for mobs?” Biden said in a speech in Pittsburgh in August 2020. I want a safe America. ”
Exit polls later found that just 11% of voters cited crime and public safety as the most important issue, far fewer than those who cited the pandemic, the economy or racial inequality.
Of course, there are stark differences between the protests of 2020 and those that roiled college campuses this spring. While racial justice protests have focused on domestic issues, racial inequality, and police crackdowns, protests over Palestinian rights are aimed at conflicts thousands of miles away. As many as 26 million people are estimated to have participated in the demonstrations, and the Black Lives Matter movement has spread far beyond the campuses most affected by pro-Palestinian protests.
Still, these campuses are important sources of votes for Democrats, who typically enjoy stronger support among younger voters than their Republican rivals.
Biden is scheduled to give the commencement address later this month at Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta. Already, university administrators are under pressure to revoke invitations from faculty, students and alumni.
“Any university that gives President Biden a commencement stage at this time is endorsing genocide,” a group of anonymous faculty members wrote in an unsigned open letter. “It’s time for Morehouse College to get on the right side of history.”
