Former President Donald J. Trump downplayed the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, while referring to recent pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses as “riots.”
During the Charlottesville rally, one woman was killed and nearly 40 people were injured when a neo-Nazi drove his car through a crowd of counterprotesters. Prior to that, white supremacists had marched through the city chanting hateful slogans.
In contrast, the current campus protests, although resulting in arrests, have not been associated with significant violence.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump criticized President Biden for his handling of the Charlottesville incident and compared it to ongoing protests and anti-Israel demonstrations happening across the country.
Mr. Trump also accused President Biden of harboring animosity towards Israel and the Jewish people, insinuating a lack of clarity in his approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Representatives for both the Trump and Biden campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In the aftermath of Charlottesville, Mr. Trump faced criticism for equating white supremacists with peaceful counterprotesters, a stance he reiterated in his recent remarks.
The Charlottesville rally was fueled by a racist conspiracy theory known as the great replacement theory, which has incited violence and terror attacks worldwide.
Recent protests against Mr. Biden have highlighted support for Palestinians and opposition to U.S. involvement in arming Israel during conflicts in Gaza.
Mr. Trump’s social media post sought to portray these protesters as a disorderly mob and to stoke tensions by accusing Mr. Biden of favoring one side over the other.
Some of the protests have included hate speech and backing for Hamas, the militant group responsible for attacks on Israel.
In response to the Gaza conflict, Mr. Biden condemned antisemitic demonstrations while expressing sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians.
