“Sheriff Of Portland” Denounces Donald Trump

First, it should be made clear that “Portland Sheriff” isn’t an accurate title. The sheriff with jurisdiction over Portland, Oregon, is Mike Reese, the sheriff of Multnomah County. Second, he says that Donald Trump misrepresented him during the presidential debate. The president declared that the ‘Portland Sheriff’ supports him. Reese says he does not, and never could.

In the presidential debate Tuesday night, Donald Trump argued with Joe Biden about handling protests that become violent, suggesting that he has handled this well, and declared that the sheriff of Portland supports him. The sheriff who has that job, if not that title, responded on Twitter.

In tonight’s presidential debate the President said the “Portland Sheriff” supports him. As the Multnomah County Sheriff I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him.

— Mike Reese (@SheriffReese) September 30, 2020

In a second tweet, Sheriff Reese first continued to denounce the president, saying, “Donald Trump has made my job a hell of a lot harder since he started talking about Portland,” before adding a lighter tone, suggesting that Trump’s lie about his endorsement could be the subject of marital discord — “…I never thought he’d try to turn my wife against me!”

There have been ongoing protests in Portland since the death of George Floyd, with some of them becoming destructive. Donald Trump’s administration sent Federal agents in. One protestor, Mark Pettibone, told his story in Buzzfeed, says he’s suing the Trump Administration after he was grabbed and dragged into an unmarked van by men in military fatigues.

Like Sheriff Reese, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has said that Donald Trump made things worse in the city, not better. As reported by Politico, in July, Wheeler said of Federal agents, “What they are doing is sharply escalating the situation. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it’s not helping the situation at all. They’re not wanted here. In fact, we want them to leave.”