Protests and arrests on college campuses exploded into the forefront of the presidential race this week, opening up a new line of attack for Republicans and forcing President Joe Biden to directly address an issue that has divided the liberal wing of his party.

With Donald J. Trump largely stuck in a New York City courtroom for one of his criminal trials, Republicans have tried to use the protests as a political cudgel and a literal backdrop to attack Biden, casting him as weak and unable to keep control of the country.

For weeks, the White House has largely resisted wading into the fray, steering clear of the protests engulfing campuses over Israel’s war in Gaza. Never one to be swept up in student movements, Biden had left any comments about the rapidly evolving situation to press officers, for the most part. His White House conducted no public outreach to university administrators or to protesting students.

But as clashes on some campuses became increasingly destructive and arrests mounted across the country, Biden increased the distance between himself and some of the more radical activism on campuses. In remarks on Thursday, he struck a balance between defending free speech and describing what he saw as the limits of acceptable protest.

“Dissent is essential to democracy,” Biden said in brief comments at the White House. “But dissent must never lead to disorder or to denying the rights of others so students can finish the semester and their college education.”

The scope of the statement was limited. The President made clear he had no plans to change his West Asia policy because of the protests. When asked whether the National Guard should intervene, he quickly responded, "No". And he did not address concerns some progressives have raised about whether the police used excessive force against demonstrators.

Biden's campaign advisers believe the issue is unlikely to significantly harm the President in the election. The situation in Gaza remains highly fluid, as US officials continue working toward a cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel, and may not carry the same political resonance when voters head to the polls in November. Students are leaving campus for summer break in the coming weeks, which many believe will help defuse some of the intensity of the protests.

None of that stopped Republicans from pouncing on Biden’s comments. They accused the President of being unwilling to take stronger actions to quell the continued unrest.

"President Biden 'still' won’t forcefully condemn the Hamas mobs on campuses," Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, said in a statement on social media on Thursday that cast the protesters as supporting a group considered a terrorist organisation by the US and many of its allies. "A complete lack of leadership from an impotent President."

Trump’s campaign has been even more direct in placing blame on Biden. “This is Biden’s campus chaos,” read the text in one Instagram post distributed by the former President’s account that included footage of Biden defending the rights of protesters who demonstrated at some of his events.

As the protests have spread in colleges across the country, Biden has been most forceful when it comes to denouncing antisemitism on campus. On Tuesday, he will deliver the keynote address at an annual ceremony hosted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Critics in both parties have urged the administration to do more. And at times, the back-and-forth over the issue within the Democratic Party has grown bitterly contentious.

Last week, Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, suggested Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was evading addressing an increase in antisemitic episodes by focusing on legislation that would end military aid to Israel.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, fired back by accusing Moskowitz of “shameful” treatment of Sanders.

Some Democrats have warned that the campus unrest could depress enthusiasm for Biden among young voters. Already, polls have shown Biden struggling to retain the same level of support he received from younger voters in 2020.

New York Times News Service