Protest Politics: Advantage D

In Defying the Odds, we discuss Trump's dishonesty and his record of disregarding the rule of law. 

Scott Clement and Dan Balz at WP:

Americans overwhelmingly support the nationwide protests that have taken place since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and they say police forces have not done enough to ensure that blacks are treated equally to whites, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

President Trump receives negative marks for his handling of the protests, with 61 percent saying they disapprove and 35 percent saying they approve. Much of the opposition to Trump is vehement, as 47 percent of Americans say they strongly disapprove of the way the president has responded to the protests.

The poll highlights how attitudes about police treatment of black Americans are changing dramatically. More than 2 in 3 Americans (69 percent) say the killing of Floyd represents a broader problem within law enforcement, compared with fewer than 1 in 3 (29 percent) who say the Minneapolis killing is an isolated incident.

Natasha Korecki and Holly Otterbein at Politico:

Joe Biden declared he opposed a growing movement on the left to defund police departments.

President Donald Trump and Republicans are determined to make him own it anyway.
Trump lit into Biden on Twitter, painting him as the leader of the “radical left” and responsible for a movement that celebrates anarchy, coddles “antifa” and demonizes law enforcement.

But the swiftness and clarity of Biden's dismissal, which came as CBS, ABC’s “The View” and other media outlets were peppering Democratic politicians with questions about defunding the police, suggests Biden's team wanted to head off an issue it saw as politically poisonous.

Joe Biden says he opposes the growing movement to defund police departments. But President Trump is still using it as a rallying cry against the Democratic nominee.

For now, they've succeeded. Biden emerged from the attacks on Monday without suffering any significant backlash from activists who've embraced the "defund" movement.

Meanwhile, Trump steps in it:

A lot of competition, but this may be the worst thing Donald Trump has ever tweeted https://t.co/nSam78XfzK

— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) June 9, 2020

Trump's latest conspiracy theory comes courtesy of Kristian Rouz, a Russian national on the payroll of the Kremlin’s official propaganda outlet, Sputnik.https://t.co/0J8P7KEXiw

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) June 9, 2020