'This is a nation of values': Biden hits out at Trump threat to crush protests and mocks him for 'brandishing' Bible
Joe Biden has condemned Donald Trump's threat to use the US military to crush nationwide protests over police brutality and mocked him for his photo opportunity outside a historic church, saying: "The president held up the Bible at St John's church yesterday. I just wish he opened it once in a while instead of brandishing it. If he opened it, he could have learned something."
Speaking in Philadelphia a day after the president demanded "domination" of the streets, his presumptive Democratic challenger in November's election said the killing fo George Floyd was a "wake-up call" for the United States.
He said the United States was "crying out for leadership that can recognise the pain of communities that have had a knee on their neck for a long time".
Early on in his address, Mr Biden criticised the president for not doing the "hard work" of exhibiting love for the people of the country. He said the president needed to care "for all of us, not just those who voted for us."
"The president held up the Bible at St. John's church. I wish he'd open it once in awhile instead of brandishing it," Mr Biden said. "If he did, he'd see that we're all called to love each other like we love ourselves. It's hard work but it's the work of America."
Mr Biden was referencing an outing Mr Trump took yesterday during which riot police gassed protesters to make space for the president to have pictures taken of him holding a Bible next to the historic St John's Church near the White House.
The former vice president also called on Mr Trump to "open the US Constitution once in awhile," encouraging him to review the First Amendment and its protections on speech and assembly, rather than threatening to use the US military to quash demonstrators.
"We're not going to allow any president to quiet our voice," Mr Biden said. "We can't leave this moment thinking that we can once again turn away and do nothing, we can't do that this time. The moment has come for our nation to deal with systemic racism."
