Kenosha County board of supervisors member: Not fair to blame violence on President Trump

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Kenosha County board of supervisors member: Not fair to blame violence on President Trump

Zach Rodriguez says Kenosha residents would welcome President Trump's visit.

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," August 31, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: All right, thank you very much, my friend.

We are watching a lot of things concurrently right now at the White House. The president is getting ready, of course, tomorrow to get ready for that trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin. The mayor there, the governor of the state don't want him there. He's going to explain exactly why he thinks it's important that he shows up regardless.

We're also looking at a couple of developments happening in the markets as a backdrop to this. If they're agitated by what's going on, they had a funny way of showing it, one of the best months we have seen for all the markets, that despite the drop-off at the Dow today.

I could get into the weeds and talk to you about new components in that average, but suffice it to say, through the month of August itself, the Dow up close to 8 percent, the Nasdaq 10 percent, the S&P 500 about 7.5 percent.

By the way, that's the best summer performance or August performance we have certainly seen for the S&P since Ronald Reagan was in the office.

Thank you, everybody, and very good to have you with us. I'm Neil Cavuto. And this is YOUR WORLD.

Let's get right to it right now, in the battle back and forth over who owns law and order and who is taking the issue seriously enough. Joe Biden is claiming that this president is not, this president claiming that Joe Biden is a Johnny-come-lately to the issue.

Kevin Corke following the issue very closely at the White House.

Hey, Kev.

KEVIN CORKE, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Neil, great to be with you.

Now, the president, as you know, will make his way to Wisconsin tomorrow, despite the pleas from some Democrats that maybe he should reconsider that visit. White House officials tell me, simply, this is a chance for him to thank law enforcement and the National Guard for helping to tamp down the violence in Kenosha in particular following the shooting of Jacob Blake.

Let me share a tweet from the president, and he spells it out just about as simply as you can, three words, "Law & order" -- OK, two words and an ampersand.

The president, quite frankly, said that is the crux of the issue. The visit isn't about politics or posturing, say White House officials. Rather, it's a chance for him to offer support for those who are sworn to protect and serve all citizens and to help restore the order in the city of Kenosha.

Now, you mentioned the governor, one of the folks that are really, frankly, hoping the president will reconsider his visit. He said this in a statement: "I'm concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."

He goes on to say: "Now is not the time for divisiveness," about which the president told our Laura Ingraham, in an exclusive interview airing tonight, this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS: The governor says he doesn't want you to come. Why is it important for you to be seen by the people of Wisconsin now?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Because I am a tremendous fan of law enforcement. And I want to thank the law enforcement. They have done a good job.

And when the governor says that I shouldn't come or he would prefer that I not come, I'm the one that called him and said, "Tony, you got to bring out the National Guard."

"Well, I don't really want to do it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORKE: Certainly, things have cooled to a simmer in Kenosha, certainly following days of fires and widespread violence.

The president says that's evidence, Neil, that his decision to send in the Guard and other federal authorities indeed made a difference.

Now, you may have seen this during the press briefing this afternoon. Kayleigh McEnany was asked if the president had any specific plan or schedule to meet with the family of Jacob Blake. She said, no, there's nothing on the schedule, but that could certainly change. And, if it does, I promise to pass that along.

We also expect to hear from the president after 5:30 today, that right here, but, for now, back to you.

CAVUTO: All right, thank you, my friend, very much, Kevin Corke, in the middle of that.

And, by the way, not all local politicians in Kenosha are opposed to the president going to Kenosha. We will be talking to Zach Rodriguez, the county board supervisor there, very, very shortly.

In the meantime, Joe Biden responding to the dust-up over the law and order issue, but on, he says, his own terms. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Fires are burning, and we have a president who fans the flames, rather than fighting the flames.

But we must not burn. We have to build.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: All right, how did that go over?

The vice president, former vice president explaining his position on law and order, speaking for those who want peaceful protests, speaking about those who take it a little further than that.

Jacqui Heinrich has more.

Hey, Jacqui.

JACQUI HEINRICH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil.

Well, this speech indicated there might be some worry within the Biden campaign that President Trump will carry the law and order mantle and use it as a political wedge. Republicans have repeated claims that people won't be safe in Joe Biden's America. And Trump is meeting with police groups in protest-torn Kenosha tomorrow.

Biden in this speech praised law enforcement saying, most cops are good people who risk their lives every day, while also touching on racial divisions that boiled over this summer, attempting to bridge that divide, quoting Jacob Blake's mother as saying she was praying for all police officers.

Biden called for healing, condemning violence in American cities, and saying people taking part in it should be prosecuted. And he said the Trump strategy has boiled down to a campaign of fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: These are not images of some imagined Joe Biden America IN the future. These are images of Donald Trump's America today.

He keeps telling you, if only he was president, it wouldn't happen, if he was president. He keeps telling us, if he was president, you would feel safe.

Well, he is president, whether he knows it or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEINRICH: Biden then cited his record saying, when he was vice president, violent crime fell 15 percent, even with Democrats running most big cities in the country. That's A line President Trump has used to point blame at local officials.

Biden challenged Trump's portrayal of him, saying, do I look like a radical socialist to you?

Now, while this speech did touch on themes that we have heard in the campaign before, for instance, coronavirus and the economy, the biggest moments were attempts to shut down areas where the Republican messaging seems to be working. That's over law enforcement.

He also touched on fracking. It's a really important issue for voters in Pennsylvania, where he gave that speech. He said: I'm not for fracking.

And we should point out that is a different position than he had during the primaries -- Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, Thank you, Jacqui.

He's not for fracking on federal lands. That's a big distinction he didn't detail. We will get into that in just a little bit.

Thank you, though, Jacqui, very much. Great job, as always.

I want to go Tom Bevan right now, RealClearPolitics, get a good update about where all of this is sort of coalescing around sentiment surveys and the like. Jason Nechols -- Nichols, I should say, with us, Democratic strategist, and Lauren Claffey, the Republican strategist.

Tom Bevan, I began with you. I want to start with you, then, on what we're seeing. Any trends developing, this law and order issue, whatever you want to call it, and how it's resonating, I think more crucially in battleground states. What do you think?

TOM BEVAN, CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, REALCLEARPOLITICS.COM: Well, there certainly is some anecdotal evidence and some limited data to suggest that it is actually working in favor of President Trump and against Joe Biden.

Now, will what Biden did today be enough to sort of stem the tide and perhaps turn things around? We will have to wait and see.

But we don't have a lot of data on this. But certainly Trump has been driving home that contrast, that he's in favor of law and order, and that Biden is allowing this to continue or had been allowing this to continue.

It is certainly something that the Biden campaign has been worried about, was worried about enough to send him to Pennsylvania today to address it, even after he released the statement online, and answered it in a couple of interviews earlier in the week. That did not seem to do the trick.

And so they went a step further today.

CAVUTO: Jason Nichols, that sounds like a campaign that might be worried, though, that it's on defense or letting the president set the agenda, this case on the law and order issue. Is it?

JASON NICHOLS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: No, I don't think that they're afraid.

I think, when you look at the polls right now, even after the RNC -- and you're supposed to get a convention bump -- they didn't really get one. It's still a very tight race. We knew it was going to be a tight race. It was 10 points. It's down to six points.

But, right now, I think Biden is in a comfortable place. And he realized that he had to get out and campaign. It's at a point where he had to go out. I don't think it's necessarily Trump's messaging about law and order, because the truth is, every attempt that Donald Trump has made to mitigate violence has only exacerbated it.

When you look at Portland and his violation of the 10th Amendment to go in there with a federal police force, which our framers absolutely deplored, he did that, and it failed. It's only made the violence worse. It's only -- we have never seen this extensive amount of violence, political violence in our country since maybe 1968, when Dr. King died.

And so I think that, right now, they're not worried about that. They're just trying to get out their message and get out the message of Joe Biden, and also make people realize that this is Trump's leadership and his failure of leadership that's led us to this position.

CAVUTO: Lauren, one of the things that the former vice president kept pounding today is, the president doesn't seem to realize he's president. This is happening under his watch. He's the guy in charge. He is not an outside observer here.

What did you make of that?

LAUREN CLAFFEY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think what I made of that was that I think it means that the messaging is working, unfortunately.

That Biden had to come out and actually say that, stop, this isn't me, this is Trump means that he is actually getting blamed for a lot or Democrats are getting blamed for a lot of the chaos that is going on.

And because these are Democrat cities, and because this is Black Lives Matter movement, it's bunch of rioting that's associated with or next to a lot of these protests, it is being associated with the Democratic Party, since so many politicians have come out in big support for these movements.

And up until this point, they have so far said that they -- that the rioting is an unfortunate consequence, it's something that insurance will cover. You hear a lot of these dismissive claims about the looting and the rioting, and that's just -- that's just showing people's passion.

So, Biden had to come out. And this was kind of his pivot to the center really, for this election, because he has got to come out in a more center- right position, especially in a state like Pennsylvania, where law and order is a big issue.

And a lot of the congressional candidates are fighting off attacks from Republican challengers that are claiming that they're weak on security, weak on law enforcement. And so he really needed to come out and make a statement here, because he is losing ground on it.

CAVUTO: I'm wondering, too, on that issue, Tom, if the former vice president, to try to show that he says most cops are good -- I'm paraphrasing here -- that this is something that he abhors, the violence and everything else, will he tick off some of his progressive supporters?

And maybe the argument was, where else are they going to go? But when you lose them as eager supporters, you could be losing something bigger. What do you think?

BEVAN: No.

Even when he said this before, he said, during a -- there's a little videotape thing during the DNC where he mentioned that all cops were good, and he caught some flak for that online.

Now, again, how big of a slice of the Democratic base is that? It's probably pretty small, but they are vocal. And, again, Joe Biden is trying to sort of thread that needle, right? He wants to -- and he mentioned it today in his speech. He talked about systemic racism, racial justice and the racial reckoning. That is a big part of what's animating the Democratic base.

He cannot afford to turn those folks off and shut down that movement, but, at the same time, he needs to -- he needs to get a handle on the law and order message, so that he doesn't get run over by Donald Trump in the election.

And I think he's trying to do that. And, again, we will have to wait and see whether what he did today moves the needle in any way. But I agree with Lauren. I think the fact that he was he was on defense in this message, and we have seen some data suggesting that support for Black Lives Matter sort of tapered off as the rioting has increased -- I think puts the Biden campaign, at least for the moment, on the defensive.

CAVUTO: All right, we're still early on. And I think Jason was just pointing that out as well, so a long way to go here.

But I want to thank you all very, very much.

Want to get the read on all of this and the president's big speech tomorrow, or at least coming to Kenosha, Wisconsin, tomorrow. You have probably been hearing of a lot of politicos in the area no big fans of the president coming, that now's not the time.

The mayor said that. The governor of Wisconsin said that, but not this next fellow.

Zach Rodriguez is the Kenosha County board supervisor, and he welcomes the president tomorrow.

Supervisor, you part company from some of your colleagues here. You think it would be a good thing for the president to come, right?

ZACH RODRIGUEZ, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: I do. And I think, by and large, lots of residents of Kenosha, those who call Kenosha home, are going to welcome President Trump to say thanks for the federal resources that he lended to the state Wisconsin and the state Kenosha.

CAVUTO: So, when they talk about the fact that this might agitate things, what do they mean by that? What would the president's presence do there to agitate things?

RODRIGUEZ: I think we can be honest that the president's presence agitates a lot of people for reasons that are unknown to me.

I think the message is clear here. The president wants to come. He's a sitting U.S. president. I will always welcome a sitting U.S. president to my home, to the city of Kenosha. He wants to survey the damage.

He wants to know what was done by these -- these rioters who burned our city to the ground.

CAVUTO: Zach, we're learning the vice president still in Pittsburgh. He had a speech to respond to all of this, and said that the president really started all of this, this is happening under his watch, it's on him, it's not on anyone else.

What did you think of that?

RODRIGUEZ: I don't think it's fair to put this on the president.

I think what we saw here in Kenosha, at least, was a failure in leadership at the top, from the mayor, to the sheriff, to the governor. This was -- unfortunately, we found ourselves in the situation Sunday night.

We knew things were going to hairy, due to the political climate facing the nation right now, and they failed to act with some haste.

CAVUTO: All right, we will watch very closely once he arrives tomorrow.

Zach Rodriguez is the Kenosha County board supervisor.

We're watching live the former vice president in Pittsburgh. He chose to make this law and order address that extended into issues such as fracking and a host of other things in Pennsylvania. That's an electoral vote-rich state. It's not by accident, 20 electoral votes up for grabs.

Donald Trump won that four years ago. Joe Biden hopes to reverse that this go-round. We're following him.

We're also following all of these uprisings and protests. So, forget about who's fueling them. Have you ever wondered who the heck is funding them?

After this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: Welcome back, everybody.

We have seen so many protests going on around the country.

And then we hear local mayors, even governors, say, we don't recognize a lot of these individuals, especially when there are reports, outside vans, outside license plates, folks that maybe came in with other intentions, sometimes from very, very far away.

While, it was so curious an issue for Republican Colorado Congressman Ken Buck that he looked into it, and now wants to probe not only the sources of these protests, but where the money could be coming from to make them happen.

Congressman, very good to have you.

What are your suspicions?

REP. KEN BUCK, R-CO: Well, I suspect that there is a common source. I'm not going to speculate on what that common source is.

But it's clear to me we have -- that the left -- the same time the left is talking about defunding the police, the left is funding, in a huge way, these protests. These protesters are coming from all over the country.

They're having, obviously, transportation costs, housing costs, food costs paid for, and perhaps even salaries and other benefits.

So, it's important to know, when you're dealing with organized crime like this, what -- where the funding is coming from.

CAVUTO: But to what end?

And let's say the intention was to make things difficult, I don't know, for the president. You could argue that this is making things helpful for the president to prove the point that cities are run amok, things are out of control, accommodative Democratic mayors, Democratic governors are making this happen.

Do those funding this know that is the way it could be falling out?

BUCK: Well, if your business has been burned down, you don't really care - - at least, your primary concern isn't whether this is beneficial to the president or beneficial to Vice President Biden.

CAVUTO: Right.

BUCK: I think your primary concern is your business.

And, yes, it does matter where these funding sources are coming from, and the funders may be on the (INAUDIBLE) money to an organization that was involved in peaceful protests.

But after months of rioting and arson and looting and criminal behavior, it's quite clear that these funders know what they're giving to. And they have been supporting this for months now.

CAVUTO: To what end? What do they get out of just total bedlam and pandemonium that stirs up this sense of, like, anarchy, right?

BUCK: Well, I think -- I think they are supporting anarchy, because they want to show that -- or they hope to show that the president cannot govern.

And I think they're absolutely ending up with the exact opposite. It is the big city mayors that are unable to govern. The president has acted in a responsible and measured way to deal with this violence, but the folks that are funding this, I think, are going to wake up on November 4, and sadly, realize -- sadly for them -- realize that these efforts have backfired.

Americans are sick and tired of this violence.

CAVUTO: But, at the outset, when I raised that as a possibility, to maybe start intentionally hurting the president, they are helping the president, if that is the case here. So they do have a political agenda, to hurt the president. Is that what you're saying?

BUCK: Oh, I absolutely believe they have a political agenda that's hurting the president.

I have just finished traveling the state of Colorado to help various Republican candidates. And I can tell you, it is absolutely backfiring. Gun sales are up. And the sales for new gun buyers, first-time gun buyers are up significantly.

The folks are concerned about sending their kids to school. They're concerned about people traveling into the cities for work. I think there is a very serious risk of backlash here.

CAVUTO: Yes, regret what you might be funding or wishing for, because you could begin got to get both ways.

Congressmen Buck, keep me posted on how this advances, but very good seeing you, Ken Buck of Colorado.

In the meantime here, do want to talk about a lot of states, municipalities that now have to deal with the cost of all of this, these riots, protests, the cleanup, the virus fallout. They have to get money to fix things again.

In New Jersey, they're talking about a surtax on the wealthy, corporate taxes. It is a theme. No one's cutting spending, but they are interested in raising taxes.

And, by the way, if you think it leaves you out of the picture, think again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: What is it about pizzas, right?

The vice president, former vice president in Pittsburgh handing out pizzas right now. When asked, someone shouted out to him, are you going to go to Wisconsin? He would say only that he's considering it.

We will have more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: Laura is long gone, but that hurricane, boy, left a lot of damage in its wake. Forget just the dozen lives lost and many others now trying to rebuild homes that are considered gone as well, also the billions upon billions of dollars that it will take to rebuild. Easier said than done.

Casey Stegall right now with the latest from Lake Charles -- Casey.

CASEY STEGALL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Neil, let's give you an idea of what 150-mile-per-hour winds will do.

We're at a Chevron gas station not far from downtown Lake Charles. Look, the blew the fuel pump back there wide open. And then, as my photographer pans around this way, hard telling where all of this crumpled metal came from.

In the distance, you see the front of what used to be this convenience store. And think about it. This is just one street corner. The damage is very widespread, stretching for miles and miles and miles in all directions.

I can tell you that FEMA is on the ground working with tens of thousands already on claims. Nearly 15,000 evacuees remains sheltered in hotels across Texas and Louisiana. More than 320,000 are without power right now.

Some areas still cannot be reached, only by boat, countless homes either gone or uninhabitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA CEASER, HURRICANE VICTIM: No, it's not livable. No, there's no water, no air, no gas. And then, with the holes in the roof, and if it is raining, it's raining in the house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEGALL: The National Guard is handing out ice, water, food, tarps, things like that over at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

And we have seen lines of cars, some people waiting for hours just to get their hands on those desperately needed supplies. At this hour, more than 6,000 troops with the Louisiana National Guard are activated all around the state, are helping give out those supplies. They're also working on delivering things like generators to particular locations, and clearing roads.

It's one of the largest deployments of the Guard in state history -- Neil.

CAVUTO: Thank you, Casey, very much.

Casey Stegall on all of that.

To Jackie DeAngelis right now on the costs, not of cleaning up after hurricane, but cleaning up after COVID-19. A lot of states right now are running serious deficits and piling up a lot of debt. Most of those states, we should tell you, they have to make sure their books are balanced by the end of the year.

Easier said than done, but they have found a sort of a universal way of getting money -- Jackie.

JACKIE DEANGELIS, FOX BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Neil.

Yes, it's a big cleanup effort, if you will. And across the country, the COVID-19 fallout has basically ransacked city and state budgets, which means your taxes are going to have to go up.

So, in New Jersey, the lack of drivers on the road is forcing the state to up its gas tax. New Jersey drivers are going to look at a 9 cent increase starting October 1. And that's not the only way the Garden State is actually looking to keep the coffers full.

Governor Murphy also eying a millionaire's tax. Having said that, let's move on, because the administration believes that new measures focused on the rich will generate nearly $400 million.

Two other states also eying the rich, California Democrats have just proposed a 54 percent tax rate on the state's top earners, while New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, his legislature is eying a new top-tier tax bracket too.

This is all as Joe Biden is targeting to collect roughly $3.8 trillion over the next decade through taxation. That's if he wins. And Kamala Harris has also gotten behind some spending plans, to the tune of about $2.7 billion.

So, estimates out there are suggesting, if you raise the federal tax, and then you spend at the same time, you can actually reduce growth by 1.5 percent and cost the country more than a half-a-million jobs. And the Biden/Harris ticket has said no new taxes, not on those people who make under $400,000.

But there are some skeptics out there that say it'll be impossible to keep that promise, the way things stand right now. So let's look at some of the things they're trying to do. Biden and Harris want to repeal the individual tax reductions for those who made over $400,000, tax capital gains at ordinary income tax rates, cap the value of itemized deductions, take the corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent, and also impose a 12.4 percent Social Security payroll tax on high earners.

That would be paid partially by employers. The point of some of these changes was certainly to stimulate the economy. Many argue that they did, but there will be a chilling effect that could have a lasting impact. It makes collecting more taxes a certain possibility, Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, Jackie, thank you very, very much, Jackie DeAngelis on all of that.

It is amazing to me. They can come up with all sorts of creative ways to get money, not spend money. Anyway, that's just me.

All right, we have a lot more coming up, including what's been happening right now with politicians shouting back and forth at each other over all this violence rising in American cities. So, we know what the politicians are saying to each other. Has anyone talked to the police?

We will next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, Oregon State Police returning to Portland after a man was killed yesterday.

The latest there from Matt Finn in Portland.

Hey, Matt.

MATT FINN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Neil, right now, Portland police are investigating the shooting. And they're asking the public for any eyewitness accounts or video which they say will assist them.

The shooting victim's name has appeared on social media and in local reports as Aaron Danielson, a reported supporter of the conservative group Patriot Prayer. The shooting happened after a caravan of President Trump supporters cruise to Portland's downtown on the streets in a planned demonstration on Saturday.

Opposing groups and rioters clashed with the pro-Trump supporters, and ultimately a man was shot dead. Local reports say there is a shooting suspect being investigated, a white male in his 40s with apparent anti- fascist ties, who was previously accused of carrying a loaded gun to a Portland protest.

Oregon's governor and Portland's mayor have been pointing the finger at the president for inciting violence and cast blame on the pro-Trump caravan this weekend. The president tweeted earlier today: "Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them."

And last night was the 94th night of unrest here in the city. Police once again declared another unlawful assembly. They say that people were throwing rocks the size of softballs at them -- Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, thank you, Matt, very, very much.

And so it goes on and on and on.

I want to get the read. We have talked to politicians on both sides of this. We have heard certainly from the president. We have heard certainly today from Joe Biden.

Joe Cardinale is a former NYPD lieutenant, much, much more, very bright fellow. But he says we're missing something when it comes to just the people who have to enforce the laws.

Joe, good to have you.

As you know, the State Police in Oregon were called in to deal with Portland after this latest killing. And I'm just wondering, when that happens, it's a reflection of concern, obviously, that local authorities can't handle it or it's already out of control.

What do you think?

JOE CARDINALE, FORMER NYPD LIEUTENANT: Oh, absolutely.

It's been out of control for a while. And the president can't just step right in until certain factors come into play. But these mayors in all the cities, New York, Washington, D.C., Portland, all over the country, are just sitting back and letting these events take place.

They have it well within their power to let the police do their job and stop it immediately. But, no, they just let it go on. And then, when it gets to point where people are dying, the public is gravely at risk, businesses are being burned to the ground, and their constituents are sitting back, saying, who's going to take care of this, and who do they go to? The president. They blame the president.

Neil, I got to tell you, in this environment, we're not idiots. The American public is sitting back watching all this. And they're saying, regardless of what party they belong to, and they're saying, who's going to do something about it?

And they know who's speaking from the heart. The president is going in. And he wants to go to Wisconsin, I believe. And he wants to sit back and take charge with this. And yet they criticize him for that too.

So, if he steps in, they criticize him. If he steps back, they criticize him. So the man is doing his job. But we know who's speaking from the heart.

And Joe Biden came to Rafael Ramos' funeral, and he delivered remarks and everything. Nobody told him to stay home, because they wanted some kind of connection with the White House and with across America to see what's going on.

But yet they tell this president to step back. So it's definitely on the shoulders of mayors and governors, who sit back and let this happen, because it's well within their reach to do what they have to do to stop this.

CAVUTO: You know, Joe, you have been obviously busy today, but maybe didn't follow the vice president, what he had to say about this, to say, well, the president's tone and language all but set the fires here, but that he had to tone it down, went back to Charlottesville and other incidents, where the president could have seized on an opportunity to be a uniter, and didn't, and this is why politicians in these cities don't want him there.

Now, that could just as easily be his political speech on this. But this view that the president, if he does go tomorrow, and he is planning to go, should he be accommodative to the interests of peaceful protesters vs. those who take it too far? How would you advise him?

CARDINALE: Absolutely.

Just do what he's been doing. I mean, sometimes, let's be real, the president comes across with some remarks that make us cringe, right? But there's been -- that's a few times, compared to the many, many times he makes us proud to be Americans.

So, let the man go in. Let him see what everybody else has to say firsthand. He's right there. Let him decide what's going on. But he's willing to go there.

Barack Obama did not come to New York. All right? He sent Joe Biden to New York. All right? So here's a president that's willing to go right in the line of fire over there and say, listen, I'm going into the -- right into the lion's den. Tell me what's going on. I want to help.

But they're not taking his help. So, where does that leave the rest of us in America, all right? The man wants to step in. He wants to do the right thing. Law enforcement wants to do their job, yet everybody's held back. Why? Because of politics, all right? Because it's an election year. All right?

I'm going to do better when I'm in there. He didn't do so great when he was there for eight years with Barack Obama. So, what makes everybody think this is going to be different? He only stepped up to the plate when he was told to, all right?

Law enforcement backed Donald Trump because of where his heart is and where -- what he wants to do for this country, not just law enforcement. He wants those cops held accountable that are wrong, all right? But he wants America to work hand in hand with law enforcement.

So, the first line of defense is not broken down in this country. It's already breaking down in these cities. And if it spreads any further, it's really going to be a point of no return.

CAVUTO: We're almost at that point now, Joe. So thank you very, very much, my friend, Joe Cardinale, the former NYPD lieutenant, much, much more.

Both the president and now the former vice president have spoken out on this issue. Republicans say Joe Biden's a little too late to it. Democrats claim this president is trying to obfuscate his responsibilities addressing it.

But, right now, it is moving polls, just not the national ones you think -- after this.

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CAVUTO: All right, we're getting word right now that American and Delta have just joined United Airlines in offering these free ticket exchanges. This has become a sort of new battle royal within the industry, trying to get fannies back in their seats.

But a hurdle has been the refusal on the part of many of them on these ticket exchanges, where you're charged sometimes a very hefty fee, and it kind of freezes demand.

Well, they're all essentially getting rid of it right now. You want to switch, switch, and hopefully switch with them. We will keep you updated on that.

Also keeping you updated right now on suddenly tightening polls over this law and order issue, whatever you want to call it. We will be giving you a glimpse of how it's affecting things on the national polls, but, in the battleground states, as I said at the outset of the broadcast with my panel, that's where this is getting to be pretty, pretty interesting.

And don't the money backers of these candidates know it? They follow that closely?

Charlie Gasparino with more on that.

Charlie, you talk to the money guys on both sides all the time. I have always said -- and you and I have discussed this -- money isn't going to be an issue when all is said and done. They're both going to raise it hand over fist, but they are affected by developments like this, right?

CHARLIE GASPARINO, FOX NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

And they do have Joe Biden's ear. I mean, Joe Biden's very close with people on Wall Street for years, long, longstanding relationships. Remember, he was a senator from Delaware. Delaware does have credit card companies. It's the business center.

It is a business center, banking business center. So, I mean, he knows the people on the street. His kids were involved in hedge funds, we should point out. So there's connections between Biden, the Biden family and Wall Street that go way back.

And it's interesting, because I was talking -- speaking with a few of these folks today. And they are really worried about debates. And they're worried about him folding in the debates. It's not been a great week for the Biden campaign.

Trump clearly is closing the gap. I mean, you don't have to be Karl Rove to figure this out. You just look at the RealClearPolitics average. And those battleground states are tightening up. The unrest caught the Democrats by surprise, that it just keeps going.

And their response to it has been pretty lame. And Trump is seizing on that. And they are now worried that the second shoe to drop will be a very poor debate performance. So, what are they saying?

And I'll tell you, Neil, this sounds farfetched, but this is what Joe Biden's Wall Street supporters are saying. And you know, if they are telling me, they're advising him, or at least advising his people.

They're saying make the debates contingent on Trump releasing his taxes, which he never will. But there -- that's an excuse maybe to not do a debate.

They're also saying, make it contingent on having a real-time fact-checker to check whatever Donald Trump says. Again, it may be -- it's a way, because they don't think Trump will agree to that sort of stuff.

But the fact that they're coming up with this stuff -- and I spoke with two or three people today, and they are talking about this -- means that they are worried about him blowing it in a debate in such a way that he doesn't look presidential, he doesn't look like he's cognitively ready for the job, and that Trump can switch the debate performance to basically say, listen, I'm not going to be running against Joe Biden, because he's not really there.

I'm going to be running against Kamala Harris, a very liberal progressive state senator from California.

Now, here's the downside to the Trump -- Trump people doing this and going after Biden's cognitive abilities. Suppose Biden does debate, and he has a very good one. I mean, if he defies expectations, that could really hurt Trump.

But I can tell you that the people -- the people around the Biden -- around Biden on Wall Street are worried about the debates, and they are coming up with these types of excuses to try to get out of it, Neil.

CAVUTO: All right. Well, we will see.

I mean, whether you like or dislike the former vice president, this is not exactly a Churchillian moment for him, this so-called scripted speech today. A lot of people were raising their eyebrows.

GASPARINO: Yes.

CAVUTO: We're going to get into that.

But thank you, Charlie, as always, Charlie Gasparino on that.

You have been hearing a lot of colleges that are delayed with in-person classes, and everyone always blames, well, it must be those kids in bars drinking like crazy. You can't trust those college students.

I want you to meet the young college student who is here to differ with that -- after this.

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CAVUTO: All right, add North Carolina State University to the number of schools that are either delaying or holding off precipitously any reopening because of cases of coronavirus on campus. They have had a number there.

Addy Miller joins us right now, a North Carolina University student.

Addy, very good to have you.

I guess the latest is that they're closing off student housing because of these spikes. Is that right?

ADDY MILLER, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yes, that's correct.

They announced it, I think, last Wednesday, and we actually have two days off the school today and tomorrow to allow students to move off campus.

CAVUTO: So what are you going to do?

MILLER: I have an on-campus apartment, luckily. So I'm staying here, because I'm not going to pay rent for an apartment I'm not going to live in.

CAVUTO: What do you think of all of this?

Invariably, as you know, Addy, people point the finger, oh, those college kids, they're partying like crazy, they're giving each other the virus. When you hear that, what do you think?

MILLER: I think there's both. Like, you can view both sides of the situation. Obviously, when you bring a group of college students to college, especially freshmen, who don't know anybody, they're going to want to socialize, especially when you're also bringing in a group of people who have a bunch of different perspectives about the virus in general.

There's people who think it's a hoax. There's people who think, well, if I get infected, it won't really affect me. And then there's the group who takes it very seriously. So, obviously, when you're going to bring them all together, they're -- it's not going to go well.

So I think our administration can be partially put at fault. But I think the students who were irresponsible can also be blamed.

CAVUTO: In a lot of schools -- and you touched on it, Addy -- it's the freshmen. They are freshmen. They come in, it's their first experience away from home for many of them, and they party.

What do you tell the freshmen. What do your friends tell freshmen?

MILLER: I mean, personally, I didn't know a lot of freshmen coming in here.

But for people like me, I'm a junior, and I have to take classes that are more in my concentration that I really needed to take in-person this semester. So we're a little frustrated with them, obviously, and just wanted them to be safe.

It's really not worth it. I understand it's really hard to meet people via online and everything, but it's just really frustrating, and we wish they were a little safer.

CAVUTO: Well, some schools go a little bit further. They either suspend -- I think a couple have expelled students, especially repeated partiers. What do you think of that?

MILLER: I mean, they have got to learn their lesson somehow.

I think expulsion is a little extreme. If they get the virus, I think that's a big punishment in its own form. But, I mean, I can't really call the shots for administration, because I'm not in that position.

CAVUTO: You are being very diplomatic. I admire that, Addy.

What are you studying?

MILLER: I'm a communication major with a concentration in public relations and actually a minor in journalism.

CAVUTO: Ah, OK. Very good.

So, you're living through history. You're living through what a lot of other schools are going -- I know your dorms are being shut down in the time being. They -- hopefully, they will reopen soon.

But has the school indicated, like, how the rest of the year is going to go, how they're going to handle this?

MILLER: Not really.

So far, I feel like N.C. State has just been taking it on as it comes, because there's really -- we're already living in an unpredicted scenario. So, with that, there are -- you can't really predict anything that's going to come up.

But I feel like they are addressing issues as they come along. So, that's really nice. But, I mean, we don't really know what's going to go on. We have no idea what's going to happen next semester, if we're going to be online next semester or if they want to try in-person classes again at some point in this semester.

So, we're all just playing it by ear right now.

CAVUTO: Yes, that's the best way. That's the only thing you can do, Addy.

But hang in there. The best thing you could say is that you're living through history. And who knows. Maybe you can write a book or do a documentary on it with your major, replace me, I mean, the way it's going. Anyway, I'm looking at my successor here.

Anyway, Addy Miller, thank you, seriously, very, very much. Best of luck to you, your family, your friends.

It's sad, but this is playing out across the country right now.

Just to give you an idea of that, University of Alabama now up to 1,200 cases, what started as at a dozen. So, it's everywhere. It's all over the place.

Here comes "The Five."

END

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