The Joe Biden campaign canceled numerous campaign events across Texas that were scheduled to take place this weekend after the Biden-Harris tour bus received a big Texas welcome from President Donald Trump’s supporters.
However, Texas Democrats told a different story: they claimed Trump supporters sought to intimidate Biden’s campaign and supporters, creating a dangerous situation.
What are the details?
Trump supporters surrounded the Biden-Harris tour bus on I-35 as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin, KXAN-TV reported. Social media posts showed numerous vehicles with American and Trump campaign flags surround the bus.
Trump supporters escort Biden-Harris tour bus in Texas, Biden supporter responds by calling 911 https://t.co/3go1eqWaT6
— American Conservatives (@AmConservatives) November 1, 2020
The chairwoman of the Travis County Democratic Party claimed, “Today, @realDonaldTrump supporters followed the Biden bus throughout central Texas to intimidate Biden supporters. They ran into a person’s car, yelling curse words and threats. Don’t let bullies win, vote.”
Today, @realDonaldTrump supporters followed the Biden bus throughout central Texas to intimidate Biden supporters.… https://t.co/zQj4w2cMzm— Katie Naranjo (@Katie Naranjo)1604098527.0
Tariq Thowfeek, Biden for President Texas communications director, claimed that Trump supporters put “our staff, surrogates, supporters and others in harm’s way,” according to KXAN.
The raucous activity forced the Biden campaign to cancel multiple campaign events in Austin and Pflugerville, KXAN reported.
Even called 911?
Historian Eric Cervini said that he flew to Texas to help the Biden campaign with their events in The Lone Star State ahead of Election Day. He admitted to calling 911 on the Trump supporters, claiming many were waiting to “ambush” the Biden-Harris bus.
He said on Twitter:
I flew down to Texas to help with the Biden/Harris bus tour, intended to drum up enthusiasm at polling locations. Instead, I ended up spending the afternoon calling 911.
See all these pickup trucks with Trump flags? They were sitting along I-35, waiting to ambush the Biden/Harris campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. These Trump supporters, many of whom were armed, surrounded the bus on the interstate and attempted to drive it off the road. They outnumbered police 50-1, and they ended up hitting a staffer’s car.
The police refused to help. When I flagged down one officer, he said his hands were tied: “not my jurisdiction.” He was wearing a blue stripe bandana. Understandably, though nobody was hurt, the rest of the tour was cancelled. And as a historian who studied the rise of the Third Reich, I can tell you: this is how a democracy dies.
Despite numerous videos of the Trump supporters tailing the Biden-Harris tour bus, not one showed them attempt “to drive it off the road” like Cervini claimed. Neither was there any indication from law enforcement that the Trump supporters broke any laws.
Perhaps most appalling, Cervini implied a comparison between Trump’s supporters and Adolf Hitler’s “militia of Brownshirts.”
“While Germany still had elections and Hitler was merely a disgraced politician, his militia of Brownshirts interrupted his opponents’ political meetings and incited violence on the streets. You know what happened next,” Cervini tweeted.
I flew down to Texas to help with the Biden/Harris bus tour, intended to drum up enthusiasm at polling locations. I… https://t.co/po6DHZwvts— Dr. Eric Cervini (@Dr. Eric Cervini)1604104498.0
