Former President Trump on Wednesday praised New York law enforcement for forcibly removing protesters from a Columbia University building amid violent protests over the war in Gaza.
The former president praised the police who invaded Hamilton Hall late Tuesday and arrested dozens of people, and criticized university leaders and President Biden for their handling of the protests.
“Last night, New York was under siege,” President Trump said of the Colombian protests during a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
He then criticized Columbia University President Minoush Shafik.
“The person in charge was a woman and she waited for a very long time. She was very weak, very scared, and very bad. There would have been no problem,” President Trump said.
“But they did an incredible job,” he said of law enforcement. “They went into one of the big buildings, a beautiful landmark building. Hey, last night was really tough. You know you have to take care of those buildings. Beaten. But the police came and it was all over in just two hours.It was a beautiful thing to see.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters opposing Israeli military operations in Gaza taken control of Campus protests that began about two weeks ago have intensified. New York City police arrested several protesters late Tuesday who entered the building through a window with riot shields and zip ties and cleared the area.
A statement from a university spokesperson said police arrived after the school called for help.
The Columbia University protests received national attention. But similar demonstrations are taking place across the country amid anger over the war in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been killed, as Israel responds to Hamas’ October terrorist attack that killed about 1,000 Israelis. It is held on a university campus.
Republican presidential nominee Trump, who has called the protests “disgraceful,” criticized Biden on Wednesday for not publicly commenting on protests across the country.
“Biden is nowhere to be found. He hasn’t said anything,” President Trump said. “When you have a problem like that, you should go out and talk about it and talk to people. But there’s a big problem. There’s a pandemic in our country and he’s not talking. But if he did, it wouldn’t matter.”
President Trump added: “I want to tell every university president to immediately remove the camps, defeat the extremists, and take back our campuses for every student who wants a safe place to learn.” .
In his only public comments on the protests, Biden told reporters last week that he condemned anti-Semitism and those who don’t understand what’s happening to Palestinians in Gaza.
Biden has maintained a measured stance throughout the conflict, defending Israel’s right to deal with Hamas and repeatedly condemning anti-Semitism in the wake of the attacks. At the same time, he called on Israel to allow more aid to Gaza and urged the country to do more to protect civilians.
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