‘We Will Have Law and Order’: Mike Pence Speaks on ‘Chaos’ in Kenosha, But Doesn’t Directly Address Jacob Blake Shooting in RNC Speech

In a last-minute change to his Republican National Convention acceptance speech, Vice President Mike Pence addressed the “violence and chaos” in major cities, calling out unrest in Minneapolis, Portland, and Kenosha, Wisconsin. While he promised that the Trump administration “will have law and order on the streets of this country,” Pence did not mention George Floyd or Jacob Blake, unarmed African-American men who were respectively killed and shot repeatedly by law enforcement, spurring nationwide protests.

As Pence’s speech neared its end, he said the country was “passing through a time of testing” in reference to the Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in 180,000 dead Americans and continues to kill nearly 1,000 more every day.

“But in the midst of this global pandemic just as our nation had begun to recover, we’ve seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities,” Pence said, before warning against rioting and alluding to protestors’ removal of Confederate iconography. “President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest. But rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech. Those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Last week Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country,” Pence said, referring to the Democratic presidential nominee’s comments at the Democratic National Convention. “So let me be clear. The violence must stop.”

However, Biden has repeatedly condemned violence and looting. Back in May he called out the “needless destruction” in Minneapolis and again condemned “needless violence” and called on protestors to be peaceful in a video message just hours before Pence’s speech.

“Whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country, for every American of every race and creed and color,” Pence declared. He mentioned Dave Patrick Underwood, a DHS officer who was allegedly gunned down in late May by a white extremist who had been using Black Lives Matter protests in Oakland as cover to spread chaos.

“From the first days of this administration, we’ve done both and we will keep supporting law enforcement and keep supporting our African-American and minority communities across this land for four more years,” Pence claimed. “Joe Biden says that America is systemically racist and that law enforcement in America has, and I quote, an ‘implicit bias’ against minorities.” When asked whether he’d support cutting funding to law enforcement Joe Biden replied, ‘Yes, absolutely.'”

In fact, Biden gave that response to healthcare activist Ady Barkan who had asked him: “But do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding?” And his comments came following a discussion about redirecting police funding to social services in an effort to reduce fatal police encounters. Biden has rejected calls to “defund the police” and fact-checks have routinely shot down misleading claims by the Trump campaign claiming otherwise.

“The hard truth is you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” Pence finally warned.

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.