Fox News really wants Democrats to talk about rising crime rates under Trump

Conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham complained on Tuesday night that during their convention, Democrats did not address recent increases in crime — increases that have occurred under Donald Trump’s leadership.

The rhetoric from Ingraham follows weeks of Fox featuring lurid footage from protests that have given the impression of widespread violence and “anarchy” in cities like Portland, Oregon, with various Fox personalities suggesting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden supports the violence.

Trump’s allies, like campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn, have also claimed that such video shows what would occur in “Joe Biden’s America” — even though this events are occurring now, with Trump in the White House.

Trump himself has repeatedly complained about a recent surge in violent crime — without claiming any responsibility for it — while saying that if Biden is elected, “the chaos and bloodshed will spread to every community in our land.”

Ingraham has made the same sorts of claims on her show. “If Biden’s elected,” she said in July, “antifa will consider it their victory, and that means violence becomes an acceptable protest tactic and a staple of American life everywhere.” The current violence happening under Trump, she said, is “only” happening in cities and states under Democratic control.

On Tuesday’s episode, which aired right after the conclusion of the second night of the Democratic convention, Ingraham complained that speakers ignored the violence Fox and Trump have hyped for weeks.

“There wasn’t a word about the skyrocketing number of murders in Democrat-controlled cities,” Ingraham said. “Murders are up 29.1% in New York City over last year.”

Recent increases in crime, however, have occurred on Trump’s watch. Overall violent crime in the United States has been on a downward trend for 30 years.

Nonetheless, Trump and various Fox personalities, including Ingraham, have tried to pin this violence on Democrats, specifically pointing to Democratically controlled cities like Chicago, New York, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C. — which also have large nonwhite populations.

Meanwhile, Republicans have refused to act on bills passed by the House to address gun violence. Trump was recently endorsed by the NRA after breaking his promises to enact gun safety legislation.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed two years ago, in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High in Florida, addressed the failure to address gun violence at Tuesday’s convention.

“Together, with the other victims of gun violence, and our nation’s youth, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take on the NRA again and win,” Guttenberg said as he announced the votes of Florida’s delegation to the convention.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.