UH OH! Joe Biden's getting hammered by the Left over campaign's 'defund the police' statement (but he left himself some wiggle room)

A statement that was just put out by the Biden campaign has ended up being one of those “pass the popcorn” moments:

Joe Biden “does not believe that police should be defunded,” a spokesman for his campaign said Monday. The statement comes as “defund the police” has emerged as a rallying cry following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. https://t.co/2ZlOW9YXDZ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 8, 2020

"Biden does not believe that police should be defunded. He hears and shares the deep grief and frustration of those calling out for change, and is driven to ensure that justice is done and that we put a stop to this terrible pain. Biden supports the urgent need for reform…" pic.twitter.com/k0IConBSj3

— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 8, 2020

Biden’s getting slammed by progressives, and it was Trump that got his campaign to say it:

Biden campaign rejects Trump's efforts to tie the Democratic nominee to protesters' "defund the police" rallying cry. https://t.co/KyY7KKuMUW

— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 8, 2020

We’re making it extra clear the statement is from Biden’s campaign and not the candidate himself for a reason:

Not having Joe sign this statement is notable enough, but skipping the large group of senior advisors (like Symone Sanders) down to Andrew Bates for this statement seems notable.

They’ve checked the box on the issue but don’t want to send too strong a signal. https://t.co/dTyKMH6p53

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) June 8, 2020

Joe Biden was asked about defunding police on The Shade Room on Thursday & sidestepped the question.

Minneapolis first publicly proposed disbanding their police department on June 2, so it took 6 days for Biden to pipe up.

Finally, this statement is not from Biden himself. https://t.co/I3Fw5MDLgV

— Tim Murtaugh – Download the Trump 2020 app today! (@TimMurtaugh) June 8, 2020

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Will mid-level staffers also be answering questions from voters whenever Joe Biden returns to the campaign trail?

There are no teleprompters or fill-ins on the debate stage for Hidin' Joe Biden! https://t.co/jCufoC2V8P

— Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) June 8, 2020

It appears the campaign has left some wiggle room for Joe.

I've been informed that this isn't good enough. https://t.co/644VqSO4aw

— neontaster (@neontaster) June 8, 2020

So he realizes that no swing voter is gonna go to the candidate who promises to take away law enforcement.

— Dima Spivak (@dimaspivak) June 8, 2020

Will the Biden campaign statement stand?

Bets on how fast this is walked back? ? https://t.co/sxg4rfW405

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) June 8, 2020

The statement will definitely be “adjusted” at some point.

Give it 24 hours. https://t.co/pZzu9xXi8z

— kaitlin, morally righteous (@thefactualprep) June 8, 2020

If that. We’ll see.