Trump says violence plaguing Democrat-cities could reach suburbs if Biden is elected

President Trump says surging crime rates currently plaguing Democrat-run cities could spread to the suburbs if Joe Biden is elected in November. 

In a tweet posted early Saturday morning, the Commander-in-chief hit out at his Presidential rival following another riot in Portland and more shootings in New York City overnight.  

‘Why would Suburban Women vote for Biden and the Democrats when Democrat run cities are now rampant with crime (and they aren’t asking the Federal Government for help) which could easily spread to the suburbs, and they will reconstitute, on steroids, their low income suburbs plan!’ Trump asked his 85.4 million followers just before 8 am. 

The ‘low income suburbs plan’ to which the President was referring is the AFFH  -Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, which formed part of the 1968 federal Fair Housing Act. 

The rule was updated under Obama in 2015 to push cities and town to identify patterns of discrimination in housing and issue plans to correct those problems. 

As part of their 2020 election campaign, the Democrats have released a housing policy agenda, which states, in part: ‘We will equalize access to affordable credit and improve access to down payment assistance to help families of color, low-income families, and rural buyers purchase homes.’ 

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly trashed that policy and sought to portray himself as a defender of the suburbs and the savior of suburban women. 

Last Wednesday, he shared a tweet which read: ‘The ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me. 

‘They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!’

Trump’s dismantling of the AFFH has been seen by many as ‘racist’.  

Following his tweet last Wednesday, Sen. Corey Booker replied: ‘Donald, your racism is showing’.  

But reacting to claims that his tweet had racist undertones, Trump  asserted that 30 per cent of people in suburbia are minorities, and that he wants to protect them too.  

‘Just so you understand, 30 per cent plus of the people living in suburbia are minorities. African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American,’ he stated. 

Last month, in a separate tweet, Trump pointed out how he had reversed the Obama-era housing rule which has largely been seen to give minorities access to suburban property.  

Last month, Trump upped his courtship of the suburbs and tied life there to the housing issue. 

‘I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,’ Trump tweeted on July 29, adding that ‘crime will go down.’ 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, called it ‘blatant racism from the President of the United States.’

‘And it’s disgusting,’ the Massachusetts Democrat added. 

Republicans have focused their efforts on courting suburban women in recent elections, dubbing them everything from ‘soccer moms’ to ‘security moms’ to ‘Walmart moms’ – although in 2018 the party saw such voters shift to Democrats. 

Trump’s latest tweet comes after he offered to send in the National Guard to Portland following an 86th consecutive night of protests. 

Police declared a riot early Saturday outside the department’s north precinct. Smoke was deployed and officers physically forced protesters away from the area, news outlets reported. 

Windows were broken on patrol vehicles, police said, and items such as glass bottles were thrown and lasers were aimed at officers. Videos posted online showed several people being detained after the riot declaration, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many arrests may have been made.