Opinion: Don't blame Donald Trump for violent riots

Joe Biden is trying to frame riots as “Trump’s America,” but that sort of deranged thinking only passes the sniff test if you’re too senile to remember anything beyond a week ago.

In 2017, I was honored to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration with three of my five sisters. As we drove from Michigan to DC, we saw multiple trucks and minivans decorated in paint and American flags, signaling they were making the same journey. It was a refreshing reminder that so many Americans were united since the Twitter collective was still “literally shaking.”

We stayed in a hotel in Maryland to save money, and I took the train with my eldest sister. Passengers were excited for us — even a bit envious — that we got to experience the peaceful transition of power. After working a grueling election cycle and futile recount, it was honestly a relief.

We waited a few hours in the cold, conversing with patriots around the country. Many were simple grassroots activists who played a small yet important role in our victory. Together, our efforts were monumental.

I heard a speech from a president focused on doing good for the nation. In another reality, news analysts heard a “dark” tale. I had been to enough Trump rallies to sense the big finish. I had an instinct that we should head back early. With frozen and numb feet, we marched toward the train station and back to the hotel.

We were greeted by relieved siblings and concerned calls from friends and family. Protests erupted into riots, and they feared we were caught in the chaos. Police were attacked, windows were smashed, and a limousine was set on fire.

I urged my sisters to be ready early for the inaugural ball. Our Uber driver was a black man who did not support Trump, but we had an optimistic chat about the future of our nation. He was pleased to meet Black Republicans, and we were affectionately dubbed “unicorns.”

As we stood in the line wrapped around the block, rioters arrived. We noticed their main prey appeared to be vulnerable women. They’d berate and even throw things at them. As they got close, the four of us prepped for battle in case they made the mistake of thinking we were easy targets. We stayed on guard and made it safely inside.

We met news personalities, foreign dignitaries, politicians, and political activists across the aisle. I saw the president dance with his wife.

As more guests came in late, we learned riots and protests erupted outside again. My sisters thanked me for rushing them out of the hotel as early as possible.

When I look at videos of Rand Paul being pushed and berated by a DC. mob, I’m not surprised. When I see looters and arsonists devastating cities like Kenosha, Wisconsin, I’m saddened and outraged, but I’m still not surprised.

Protests have not been peaceful for a long time. I waited for Obama and Biden to give a strong lecture to the deranged protesters who refused to accept the results of the election, but that never happened.

I’ve watched dozens of lectures between 2015-16 of Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, and others being interrupted by Black Lives Matter — chanting their mantra as if possessed — to ruin open and free discussions. Biden didn’t discourage this behavior. Now many of these intolerant children have graduated. They’re your children’s teachers, your social workers, and political leaders.

These could have been fringe groups that we shamed and scorned, but the Democrats find a misguided sense of power in them. Former DNC Co-chair Keith Ellison promoted an Antifa book. He’s currently the attorney general of Minnesota. Sen. Kamala Harris, Steve Carrell, and many celebrities promoted the Minnesota Freedom Fund, so they could bail out “peaceful protesters.” Some recipients are accused of attempted murder and rape.

For months, we’ve seen statues torn down, stores looted, businesses burned to the ground, and more than 30 dead, such as retired Officer David Dorn. Yet during the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama and others insisted these were “peaceful protests.”

When a Trump supporter was dragged from his car and beaten by a mob in 2016, Symone Sanders dismissively said, “Oh my goodness, poor white people!” She worked for Bernie Sanders, and she’s currently a top advisor in the Biden campaign.

These are the sort of people Democrats respect and promote. They only care about the suffering and sobs of business owners when Trump’s poll numbers tick up. Why should Americans reward their indifference? “Vote for Biden, and it will stop,” is extortion. And unless Biden is controlling the mobs himself, it’s likely a lie. If he wasn’t bold enough to condemn rageful radicals as Vice President, why would he find such courage now?

Trump didn’t create this America. It’s a group effort from every leftist who chose chaos over civility for political gain.

Christina L. Barr is an author and political activist.

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