Trump and Biden tangle over bus broil as campaigns round corner ahead of vote
Democrat denounces alleged harassments of campaign vehicle in Texas, as president warns FBI against investigating action, claims drivers were protecting bus
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WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday denounced the alleged harassment of one of his campaign buses by supporters of US President Donald Trump on a Texas highway, in an incident the FBI confirmed it is investigating.
Meanwhile, Trump on Sunday suggested the FBI should stop investigating the incident, which led Democrats to cancel an event in the area.
The president’s tweet came hours after the FBI confirmed that it was “aware of the incident and investigating.”
An FBI spokesperson said the bureau had no comment about the president’s tweet.
In videos posted on Twitter, a group of cars and pickup trucks — many adorned with large Trump flags — can be seen riding alongside the campaign bus on Friday, and at times boxing it in, as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. At one point, one of the pickup trucks can be seen colliding with an SUV that was driving behind the bus.
The president himself tweeted a video of the incident late Saturday, saying, “I LOVE TEXAS.”
I LOVE TEXAS! pic.twitter.com/EP7P3AvE8L
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020
Democratic officials said the bus, carrying state congressional candidate Wendy Davis, stopped its journey and canceled two planned events and a news conference, citing “safety concerns.”
“We’ve never had anything like this — at least we’ve never had a president who thinks it’s a good thing,” Biden told supporters in Philadelphia Sunday.
https://twitter.com/ericcervini/status/1322546782572859395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1322546782572859395%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesofisrael.com%2Ftrump-retweets-clip-of-supporters-trying-to-run-biden-bus-off-texas-highway%2F
He added that the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, made a video urging backers to “keep it up,” and find where Biden running mate Kamala Harris is and greet her the same way.
“Folks, that’s not who we are. We are so much better than this,” Biden said.
During a rally in Michigan, Trump explicitly embraced the action, saying that the Texas protesters were trying to “protect” the Biden bus.
And he later slammed the investigation on Twitter, insisting “these patriots did nothing wrong.”
In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong. Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people! https://t.co/of6Lna3HMU
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2020
“Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!”
Trump’s tweet come as tensions remained high between the president and FBI Director Christopher Wray, and as Trump has pressed the Justice Department and FBI to act against his rivals, including Biden himself. The president has also told people around him that he is frustrated with Wray over the FBI director’s public statements on issues like voting fraud, Russian election interference and antifa, and has discussed the possibility of removing Wray if he wins reelection.
This weekend, caravans of Trump supporters also blocked the Mario Cuomo Bridge in New York, which spans the Hudson River between Tarrytown and Nyack, and snarled traffic on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey.
Videos posted online showed some of the supporters hopping out of their cars on the bridge as rain fell on the roadway, waving Trump flags and cheering.
The reported incidents came amid high concern about voter suppression or intimidation, and post-election violence.
Amid the continuing fears, Democratic officials in Floyd County, Georgia, said Sunday they were canceling a campaign event after learning that a “large militia presence is expected” due to Trump’s planned evening rally in the city of Rome, Georgia.
The bus incident was separate from a visit to Texas on Friday by Harris, whose presence was seen to show that Democrats see a chance of flipping the traditionally conservative state.
“Rather than engage in productive conversation… Trump supporters in Texas (Friday) instead decided to put our staff, surrogates, supporters, and others in harm’s way,” Tariq Thowfeek, a Texas spokesman for the Biden campaign, told The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Democratic Party chairperson did not directly address the incident but said people should “ignore the noise and go vote.”
“Voting is the only thing that matters right now,” the chair, Gilberto Hinojosa, said in a statement.
The Texas Tribune quoted the state’s Republican chairman, Allen West, as dismissing the incident as “fake news and propaganda,” adding, “Stop bothering me.”
The Times of Israel Community.