Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump Thursday of pouring fuel on the fire of racial justice protests and said he may travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to meet with the family of police shooting victim Jacob Blake.
In unannounced interviews, the Democratic nominee for president slammed Trump as a divider who thrives on conflict like the racial strife in Kenosha.
"(He) views this as a political benefit to him," Biden told NBC's Andrea Mitchell. "He is rooting for more violence, not less."
Biden spoke out against looting and burning that has accompanied protests in some cities this summer. But he emphasized that the protesters' cause is just.
"The thing that bothers me the most is the idea of just pouring gasoline on the racial flames that are burning now," Biden said. "That does not justify any of the looting, any of the burning, any of the damage being done by protesters. But people have a right to be angry."
Biden said he is considering visiting Blake or his family if it could be done safely.
"We've got to calm this whole situation down ... the American people aren't buying this," Biden told CNN. "Black, white, Asian, Hispanic. Doesn't matter. The country is ready."
Coming just hours ahead of Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention, Biden's appearances amounted to a preemptive strike against Trump's expected fiery rhetoric of "law and order."
