Biden keeps quiet as Gaza protesters and police clash on college campuses

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden is staying mum astir pupil protests and constabulary crackdowns arsenic Republicans effort to crook field unrest implicit the warfare successful Gaza into a run cudgel against Democrats.

Tension astatine colleges and universities has been gathering for days arsenic immoderate demonstrators garbage to region encampments and administrators crook to instrumentality enforcement to wide them by force, starring to clashes that person seized attraction from politicians and the media.

But Biden's past nationalist remark came much than a week ago, erstwhile helium condemned “antisemitic protests” and “those who don’t recognize what’s going connected with the Palestinians.”

The White House, which has been peppered with questions by reporters, has gone lone somewhat further than the president. On Wednesday, property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is “monitoring the concern closely," and she said immoderate demonstrations had stepped implicit a enactment that separated escaped code from unlawful behavior.

“Forcibly taking implicit a building," specified arsenic what happened astatine Columbia University successful New York, "is not peaceful," she said. "It’s conscionable not.”

Biden has ne'er been overmuch for protesting. His vocation successful elected bureau began arsenic a region authoritative erstwhile helium was lone 28 years old, and he’s ever espoused the governmental value of compromise implicit zealousness.

As assemblage campuses convulsed with choler implicit the Vietnam War successful 1968, Biden was successful instrumentality schoolhouse astatine Syracuse University.

“I’m not large connected flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts,” helium said years later. “You know, that’s not me.″

Despite the White House's disapproval and Biden's refusal to heed protesters' demands to chopped disconnected U.S. enactment for Israel, Republicans blasted Democrats for the upset and person utilized it arsenic a backdrop for property conferences.

“We request the president of the United States to talk to the contented and accidental this is wrong," House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said connected Tuesday. "What’s happening connected assemblage campuses close present is wrong.”

Johnson visited Columbia with different members of his caucus past week. House Republicans sparred with protesters portion speaking to the media astatine George Washington University successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday.

Former President Donald Trump, his party's presumptive nominee, besides criticized Biden successful an interrogation with Sean Hannity connected Fox News.

“Biden has to bash something,” helium said. “Biden is expected to beryllium the dependable of our country, and it’s surely not overmuch of a voice. It’s a dependable that nobody’s heard.”

He repeated his criticisms connected Wednesday during a run lawsuit successful Waukesha, Wisconsin.

“The extremist extremists and far-left agitators are terrorizing assemblage campuses, arsenic you perchance noticed," Trump said. “And Biden’s obscurity to beryllium found. He hasn’t said anything."

Kate Berner, who served arsenic lawman communications manager for Biden’s run successful 2020, said Republicans already tried the aforesaid maneuver 4 years agone during protests implicit George Floyd’s execution by a constabulary officer.

“People rejected that,” she said. “They saw that it was conscionable fearmongering. They saw that it wasn’t based successful reality.”

Apart from condemning antisemitism, the White House has been reluctant to straight prosecute connected the issue.

Jean-Pierre repeatedly deflected questions during a briefing connected Monday.

Asked whether protesters should beryllium disciplined by their schools, she said “universities and colleges marque their ain decisions” and "we’re not going to measurement successful from here.”

Pressed connected whether constabulary should beryllium called in, she said “that's up to the colleges and universities.”

When quizzed astir administrators rescheduling graduation ceremonies, she said “that is simply a determination that they person to decide" and “that is connected them.”

Biden volition marque his ain sojourn to a assemblage field connected May 19 erstwhile he's scheduled to present the commencement code astatine Morehouse University successful Atlanta.

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Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon successful Miami contributed to this report.