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WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden denounced the alleged harassment of one of his campaign buses by Donald Trump supporters on a Texas highway on Sunday (November 1), in an incident the FBI confirmed it is investigating.
Video posted on Twitter appeared to show multiple trucks with Trump flags circling and stopping the Biden / Harris bus.
Democratic officials said the bus, which was transporting state Congressional candidate Wendy Davis, stopped its trip and canceled two planned events and a press conference, citing “safety concerns.”
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The president himself tweeted a video of the incident late Saturday and said, “I LOVE TEXAS.”
“We’ve never had something like this, at least we’ve never had a president who thinks it’s a good thing,” Biden told supporters in Philadelphia.
He added that the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, made a video urging sponsors to “keep it up,” and find out where Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris is, and greet her in the same way.
“Folks, that’s not who we are. We are so much better than this,” Biden said.
The FBI office in San Antonio told AFP on Sunday that they were investigating the Texas incident, but declined to comment further.
An SUV belonging to the Democratic caravan was reportedly stolen. No injuries were reported and it was unclear if any of those involved were armed.
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Meanwhile, multiple posts on Twitter showed scenes of long traffic stops on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway, allegedly caused by pro-Trump drivers.
The reported incidents came amid heightened concern over voter suppression or intimidation and post-election violence.
Amid continuing fears, Democratic officials in Floyd County, Georgia, said Sunday they would cancel a campaign event after learning that “a large militia presence is expected” due to Trump’s planned evening rally at the city of Rome, Georgia.
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And during a rally in Michigan, Trump explicitly embraced the action, saying the Texas protesters were trying to “protect” the Biden bus.
“You see the way our people, you know, were protecting this bus yesterday,” he said, adding that Trump supporters number in the “hundreds.”
The bus was separated from a visit to Texas on Friday by Harris, whose presence showed Democrats see an opportunity to change the traditionally conservative state.
“Instead of engaging in a productive conversation … Trump supporters in Texas (on Friday) decided to put our staff, substitutes, supporters and others in danger,” said Tariq Thowfeek, Texas spokesman for Biden’s campaign, at Texas Tribune.
Local media said the incident occurred on I-35, southwest of Austin, the state capital.
The Texas Tribune quoted the state’s Republican President Allen West calling the incident “fake news and propaganda,” adding, “Stop bothering me.”
