Biden says Trump was ‘paralysed with fear’ by protests and hid ‘in his bunker’ in new campaign ad

‘Too scared to face the people. Too small to meet the moment. Too weak to lead,’ narrator says

Joe Biden has released a new campaign ad, that takes aim at president Donald Trump, for reportedly visiting the White House bunker during George Floyd protests.

The new ad, from the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, criticises the president’s leadership qualities, and is titled “Deer In The Headlight Pt 2”.

The Biden campaign released the first “Deer In The Headlights” video three weeks ago, which attacked Mr Trump for his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.

The second video in the series focuses on his leadership in response to recent protests that have taken place across the US, following the death of Mr Floyd, who died after his neck was knelt on by Derek Chauvin, who at the time was a Minneapolis police officer.

Protests, in opposition to police brutality against African Americans, started in Minneapolis, but quickly spread to every state across the US, including outside the White House.

“Donald Trump too scared to face the people. Too weak to lead,” the narrator says at the start of the ad, as images of Mr Trump and protesters are shown.

“The nation marches for justice, and like a deer in the headlights, he’s paralysed with fear. He doesn’t know what to do, so he hides in his bunker,” the narrator adds, referencing reports that the president visited the emergency bunker, while demonstrators protested outside the White House gates.

It was widely reported that on 29 May Mr Trump went down to the emergency bunker, which was created to keep the president safe, with his wife Melania and son Barron, when protesters loudly demonstrated outside the White House.

Mr Trump and his family were reportedly down in the bunker for around an hour, according to sources who spoke to CNN, in what the president claimed was a bunker inspection.

However, US attorney general, William Barr, contradicted the president’s claim and told Fox News on Tuesday, that during the protests on 29 May, “things were so bad that the Secret Service recommended that the president go down to the bunker”.

According to CNN, the president became upset when people suggested he was weak for hiding from the protesters, and they reported that he then arranged a visit to the nearby St John’s Episcopal Church, as a show of strength.

Later in Mr Biden’s ad, the narrator says: “Then he’s afraid he looks too weak, so he has tear gas and flash grenades used on peaceful protesters...just for a photo op.”

On Monday 1 June, Mr Trump left the White House to go to the church for a photo opportunity, and protesters outside the gates were tear gassed and fired at with rubber bullets.

Last week, it was confirmed by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, that Mr Barr ordered the protestors to be dispersed, and the attorney general told Fox News that he made the order to move the protesters away from the executive mansion.

The ad, paid for by Biden for President, finishes with the narrator saying: “The cries for justice grow. Where is Donald Trump? Too scared to face the people. Too small to meet the moment. Too weak to lead.”

On Wednesday, the Trump campaign team released a new ad that criticised Mr Biden for kneeling at a church, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The narrator in the ad claimed: “Antifa destroys our communities. Rioting. Looting. Yet Joe Biden kneels down.”

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.