President Donald Trump is "willfully fanning the flames" of violence in cities like Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon, and "believes the violence helps him," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union."
"I want to underscore something that you are asking Sen. Johnson about," Schiff said, referencing host Dana Bash’s earlier interview with GOP Sen. Ron Johnson.
"And that is the president is willfully fanning the flames of this violence. As his own adviser Kellyanne Conway said last week, they believe the violence is helpful to them. And the president is only motivated by one thing: What is in it for him?"
Trump earlier Sunday unleashed a barrage of tweets in response to the violence in Portland Saturday where one person died after a shooting during protests in the downtown area.
"The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing," Trump tweeted.
"The people of Portland won't put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!"
Schiff condemned the response.
"They are once again doing their best in social media, and other means, to grow these divisions again," he told Bash. "And I think that most pernicious, we have to worry about their aggravating the tensions in our cities."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.