Trump, GOP seize on campus protests to depict chaos under Biden

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Trump, GOP seize on campus protests to depict chaos under Biden

Republicans highlight images of turmoil, though most of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been peaceful

By Yasmeen Abutaleb, Patrick Svitek and Maegan Vazquez
Updated April 29, 2024 at 8:48 a.m. EDT | Published April 29, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT



Student demonstrators create a pro-Palestinian “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University in New York. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Former president Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans are seizing on the eruption of campus protests across the country to depict the United States as out of control under President Biden, seeking to use the mostly peaceful demonstrations as a political cudgel against the Democrats.

The pro-Palestinian protests at numerous colleges — including Columbia, Yale, Emory, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and others — include encampments and barricades intended to highlight protesters’ denunciation of Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza, as well as to push universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Beyond the disruption to campus life, top Republicans have highlighted the antisemitic chants that have occurred at some of the protests. The issue is complicated by a debate over what constitutes antisemitism — and when criticism of Israel crosses that line — while some student organizers have denounced the chants or said they are coming from outside activists.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has cited the protests to accuse Biden and Democrats of being unable to maintain order or quash lawlessness, an accusation he has leveled at the president on other hot-button political issues. He has also highlighted the protests as a way to air his own political grievances, including the lack of similar demonstrations around his current criminal trial. ... On Monday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social, “STOP THE PROTESTS NOW!!!”

{snip}

Isaac Arnsdorf contributed to this report.

By Yasmeen Abutaleb
Yasmeen Abutaleb is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2019 as a national health policy reporter. Yasmeen co-authored the New York Times No. 1 best seller, "Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration Response to the Pandemic that Changed History." Twitter https://twitter.com/yabutaleb7

By Maegan Vazquez
Maegan Vazquez is a politics breaking news reporter. She joined The Washington Post in 2023. Twitter https://twitter.com/maeganvaz

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/29/gaza-college-campus-protests-republicans-attack-biden-chaos/

[Owens]

1. Last time I checked peaceful protesting is an American right

Trump wants to be a dictator, Democrats need to pounce on that. Democracy versus fascism.

[Oopsie Daisy]

7. Blaming Biden for things that are not his fault will make it easier for the GOP and Trump to win.

>> Last time I checked peaceful protesting is an American right
Keep a close eye on that. As their activities give ammo to the American right, they are likely to lose that American right.

[wnylib]

2. Well, that was predictable, wasn't it?

[Wonder Why]

3. fter they close down the universities for being left wing libtards, there will be none to protest at. Problem solved.

[BaronChocula]

4. I have a one word response to this election scare tactic

Abortion.

[orangecrush]

5. Expected

"Hundreds" of protesters peak the news cycle.

[Oopsie Daisy]

6. Just as I predicted. This shit will only serve to kneecap Biden and make things worse for whatever their cause it.

[LeftinOH]

8. Trump was president during the Summer 2020 riots. What the

riots were about is irrelevant; the "chaos" was entirely under his watch.

[BlueTsunami2018]

9. Which is the whole point of this astroturfed bullshit.

All of this, from the October 7th attack itself on down to the “Death to America” chants by these dopey cosplaying revolutionaries on college campuses, only serves to help the enemies of democracy.

I’m not saying it’s all astroturf at this point, many of the dupes out there supporting Hamas and antisemitism sincerely bought into the tik tok horseshit they were fed by the troll farms but the origination of the whole thing is absolutely astroturf.

The worst people, with the worst motives are dividing the left in an attempt to bring the fascist, anti-democracy scum in this country back into power and ruin us once and for all.

It’s disgusting that people are so gullible as to fall for it.