Daily US Times: US President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden have clashed over the violence that has erupted at protests in Portland, Oregon
Mr Trump blamed Ted Wheeler, the Democrat mayor of Portland, for allowing the “death and destruction of his city”.
But Mr Biden said Mr Trump was “recklessly encouraging violence“.
On Saturday, a man was shot dead in Portland as elsewhere in the city a pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters.
Portland has become a flashpoint for demonstrations against racism and police brutality since the police killing of George Floyd, an African-American, in Minneapolis on 25 May triggered a wave of national and international outrage.
The mayor of Portland warned against people coming to the city to seek revenge amid a flurry of social media posts.
He said: “For those of you saying on Twitter this morning that you plan to come to Portland to seek retribution, I’m calling on you to stay away.”
He also hit back at the president’s criticism, saying it was Mr Trump who had “created the hate and the division”.
Mr Wheeler said: “I’d appreciate it if the president would support us or stay the hell out of the way.”
Some activists have called for the resignation of the mayor, saying he was not capable of resolving the protests.
‘This is Trump’s America’
On Sunday, Mr Trump posted a series of tweets saying that “Portland will never recover with a fool for a mayor”, and suggested sending federal forces to the city.
He also accused the Democratic candidate for the Oval Office Mr Biden of being “unwilling to lead”.
Mr Biden said in a statement: “[Trump] may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong – but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is.”
Law and order is a major theme of Mr Trump’s bid for re-election, painting the Democrats and their candidate Joe Biden as soft on crime.
Acting US Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said earlier that Democrats officials in Portland had allowed “lawlessness and chaos” to develop, saying “all options” were on the table to resolve the situation.
Democrats have responded by saying the violence is happening under President Trump’s presidency, and accuse the president of worsening the situation with his rhetoric.
Police are investigating the shooting in the city, which has seen months of demonstrations.
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