As Trump Blames Biden for Unrest, Voters See Violence Worsening in Second Term

While President Donald Trump moves to assign blame for violent unrest across the nation to Joe Biden and the Democrats, polling shows people fear such scenes will increase if the Republican incumbent secures a second term.

Trump is defining himself as the law and order candidate ahead of November, suggesting the nation will not be safe if he is defeated by Biden.

The Democratic presidential candidate has rebuked Trump's attacks, suggesting crises "keep multiplying" while the Republican is in the White House.

"We need a President who will stop violence — not incite it," Biden tweeted Monday, suggesting "we are all less safe because Donald Trump has failed at his job."

Trump has suggested that radical left agitators are behind the unrest and linked them to Biden and the Democrats.

"The rioters and Joe Biden have a side: They're both on the side of the radical left, and that is so obvious," he said in a briefing Monday.

In turn, Biden has suggested Trump look towards those among his own supporters involved in ugly scenes across the country.

"He may believe mouthing the words law and order makes him strong but his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is," he said in remarks in Pittsburgh on Monday.

He also went on to condemn those involved in rioting and looting, adding: "Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness–plain and simple."

In a recent Yahoo! News/YouGov poll, a majority of respondents said they thought there will be more violence like that seen in Kenosha if he Trump is re-elected.

Of 1,001 U.S. adults asked August 27 to 28, 52 percent predicted more violence in that situation while 23 percent said less and 25 percent said they thought it would stay the same.

There was a partisan split in opinion, with 79 percent of Democrats thinking there would be more compared to 27 percent of Republicans who thought that.

Among independent identifying voters, 46 percent said they would expect more under Trump, compared to 23 percent less and 31 about the same.

As to who respondents felt the nation would be safer under, Biden came out on top too.

Asked if the country would become more or less safe, 39 percent of those asked said it would be more so under Biden compared to 32 percent who thought it would be under Trump.

In terms of becoming less safe, 38 percent said this would happen under Biden while 43 percent said they expected so under Trump.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment.

Trump has previously faced criticism for his reaction to protests, having prompted a backlash for comments made amid demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd's death.

He previously deployed national guard and federal officers to Kenosha amid unrest there, despite having been criticized earlier in the year for doing so in Portland.