In Audie Cornish's mind, there's nothing inherently wrong with violent Democrat protests. It's just that violence might be the wrong strategic choice for the Democrats.
That's the takeaway from the exchange CNN This Morning host Cornish had today with Janelle Bynum, a Democrat Representative whose district includes a portion of Portland, Oregon. The topic was President Trump's plan to send National Guard troops to the area.
At one point, Bynum said:
"One thing to remember is that when you talk about why people are protesting and why things may get violent, what you have to understand is, you need to address the grievances. And that's what the Trump administration is not doing."
So, if the Trump administration doesn't cave to the radicals' demands, violence is understandable? Bynum added, "The president knows that he's messing with Portland, Oregon, and he's messing with the wrong people." Sounds vaguely threatening.
You might have expected Cornish to push back. But to the contrary, she responded:
"Is there any argument for Democrats to say nonviolent protests in particular might be the better approach here? Are there ways that you're, in a sense, baiting or being drawn into this argument by the White House? "
Sounds like, for Cornish, there's nothing inherently wrong about Democrat violence. To the contrary, Audie wonders if there could be ANY argument against violence. And the only thing she comes up with is that it might play into President Trump's hands.
In an unusual turn of phrase, Bynum repeatedly demanded that Trump "run us our money," apparently meaning, pay out funds to which she believes her area is entitled. She claimed that Trump is using the protests as a pretext to not "run us our money."
Note: Cornish musing with Bynum as to whether violence or non-violence would work better for the Dems reminds me of an old Jewish joke [invoking Finkelstein-ian privilege.] After years of living in the US, the little old Jewish lady qualifies to become an American citizen. The only thing remaining is an interview with the judge. He looks down at her from the bench, and formally asks, "And do you advocate the overthrow of the government of the United States by force, or by violence?" The little old lady is frazzled, and, imagining that the judge has posed a multiple-choice question, timorously replies, "um, violence?"
Here's the transcript.
CNN This Morning
10/20/25
6:33 am EDTAUDIE CORNISH: The deployment of National Guard troops to Portland is one step closer to happening. In a two-to-one decision Monday, the Ninth Circuit of Appeals sided with the Trump administration. They found even if the president exaggerates Portland as war ravaged on social media, quote, this does not change that other facts provide a colorable basis to support the administration's argument.
Joining me now to discuss, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum of Oregon. Thank you for waking up for us.
JANELLE BYNUM: Good morning.
CORNISH: We were just showing the folks who are dancing out there, wearing costumes, but the court was also looking at the number of arrests that have happened since June 2025 outside the Lindquist Federal Building. 22 defendants this summer, and they're accused of attempted arson, you know, destructive devices, there were people who assembled a guillotine outside the ICE facility. And they also mentioned bomb threats, and even following ICE officers back to their hotel rooms.
So help me square these two narratives. Which is doing the damage here?
BYNUM: Well, I think this ruling gives Trump the green light to continue his attempted takeover of Portland, Oregon. And those numbers that you're citing are mere accusations.
And I think where we have to focus on is making sure that the First Amendment is protected. And when we were going through this in 2020, one thing to remember is that when you talk about why people are protesting and why things may get violent, what you have to understand is you need to address the grievances. And that's what the Trump administration is not doing. They need to address the grievances that people are bringing, and that's why they're protesting.
CORNISH: Is there any argument for Democrats to say nonviolent protests in particular might be the better approach here? Are there ways that you're, in a sense, baiting or being drawn into this argument by the White House?
BYNUM: Well, it's very clear to me that President Trump is trying to use our National Guard as toy soldiers. And that is where we have a problem. This is a distraction, and he knows that if he continues the distraction, he doesn't have to run us our money.
. . .
The president knows that he's messing with Portland, Oregon, and he's messing with the wrong people. What he needs to know is that he needs to run us our money. We need money for roads. We've needed money special education for our students. We need money for water projects. Those are all grants that we applied for that we expected to have so we can improve the quality of life of Oregonians.
He knows that he stopped that and he's trying to cover up for that. Run us our money.
