(AURN News) – As the 2024 presidential race heats up, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are trading barbs over crime and support for law enforcement.
Trump has ramped up attacks on the Biden administration’s handling of crime following the deadly shooting of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller during a traffic stop this week. On his Truth Social platform, the former president wrote: “POLICE ARE THE GREATEST PEOPLE WE HAVE. THERE IS NOTHING, AND NOBODY LIKE THEM—THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN…”
He added in another post, “THIS IS SUCH A SAD OCCASION—WE HAVE TO STOP IT, WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO LAW AND ORDER…WE HAVE TO DO A LOT OF THINGS DIFFERENTLY—BECAUSE THIS NOT WORKING…THIS IS HAPPENING TOO OFTEN…”
The White House defended Biden’s longstanding support for law enforcement. During a briefing aboard Air Force One Thursday following Trump’s remarks. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president “has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities. Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers.”
Jean-Pierre also took a jab at the previous administration over crime. “I’m going to be careful about saying anything about 2024, but violent crime surged under the previous administration, which repeatedly attempted to cut the COPS program,” she said.
Recent FBI data shows an estimated 1.7% decrease in national violent crime in 2022 compared to 2021 estimates. The report also estimates a 6.1% nationwide decrease in murders compared to the prior year.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Jamie Jackson:
