Philadelphia Looting Incident...Suddenly Emerging as a Major Election Issue

Trump, "Biden Supports Looters"... Emphasizes Law and Order
Biden, "Looting and Violence Are Inexcusable"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The looting incident that occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is emerging as a late variable in the November presidential election.

A Walmart employee in Philadelphia, affected by looting damage, is cleaning up glass shards. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 28th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump expressed strong concern about the looting incident in Philadelphia during a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada.

President Trump claimed, "Joe Biden is supporting those who looted in Philadelphia." He added, "Joe only talks but does not take action. You need to take action."

President Trump also said, "I know the Philadelphia police well. I think they supported me," and added, "The police were ordered to stand down."

In response, Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, after early voting in Wilmington, Delaware, near Philadelphia where the looting occurred, told reporters, "There can be no excuse for looting and violence."

President Trump and Biden have recently focused their efforts on winning Pennsylvania. Following President Trump's three rallies in the area on the 26th, his wife Melania held her first rally in Philadelphia on the 27th, appealing for women's support.

Biden also planned a support speech by former President Barack Obama and held a rally himself in his hometown area to secure victory.

Philadelphia has traditionally been a Democratic stronghold, but since President Trump narrowly won in the last presidential election, it has been classified as a battleground state. This area has 20 electoral votes, and it is widely expected to effectively decide the outcome of the presidential election.

According to RealClearPolitics, Biden leads President Trump by 3.8 percentage points in this area. In mid-month, the gap between the two was 7%, but President Trump is rapidly closing the gap by continuing rallies.

In Philadelphia, after a black youth holding a knife was shot dead by police on the 26th, violent protests and looting occurred for two consecutive days. Videos of the incident spread on the internet, leading to protest demonstrations that later turned into looting.

On the night of the 27th, as about 1,000 people continued looting in various parts of downtown Philadelphia, city authorities urged residents not to go out, and Tom Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania, decided to deploy the National Guard.