False: Joe Biden wants to 'Abolish the suburbs.'

Donald Trump falsely claimed that Joe Biden wants to abolish the suburbs, whereas his policy is geared toward racial equality and affordable housing. President Donald Trump gave a speech in Mankato, Minnesota, on August 17, where he claimed that, if elected, Joe Biden will abolish immigration enforcement, bail, the suburbs, and effective policing. This is not the first time Donald Trump made this claim. On July 23, Trump wrote on Twitter, 'The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article,' linking to a New York Post op-ed by former New York lieutenant governor, Betsy McCaughey, who argued that Biden would ruin the country's bedroom communities. This claim is based on a housing regulation designed to make the housing market fairer, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, which was put in place by the Obama administration in 2015. However, the AFFH never had much of an effect on any area, suburban or otherwise. The rule intended to clarify some of the vague languages of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. It essentially required municipalities to fill out a report on barriers to fair housing within their jurisdictions. The Trump campaign has continued to amplify Trump's message that a Biden presidency would be disastrous for large portions of the American populace accustomed to peace and stability, that is, suburban living. The campaign released an ad that depicted an elderly white woman being victimized during a home break-in by a shadowy figure. The phrase 'You won't be safe in Joe Biden's America' flashes across the screen as the woman is attacked. Experts believe that Trump's focus on housing and suburbia is due to the loss of Republicans control of the House in 2018 as millions of suburban voters abandoned the party to vote for Democrats. In a Fox News poll from July 19, Trump was trailing Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, by 11 percentage points in the suburbs. An ABC News/Washington Post poll marked Trump down by nine percentage points. This shows a dramatic swing from 2016 when Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the suburbs by four percentage points. Shaun Donovan, Obama's first HUD secretary, said that Trump's comments have an underlying tone of racism and discrimination. An article published by Bloomberg analyzes Joe Biden's economic policies. It states that his focus on an inclusive economy that is less centered on the superstar cities that have flourished in the past will lift the suburbs. Biden's platform intends to pour $640 billion into affordable housing over ten years and to continue cracking down on redlining, and push for affordable homes. Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the National Low Housing Coalition, told NPR that Obama-era policy aimed for rezoning in some communities, as some zoning had led to purposeful, policy-driven segregation. Biden's plan similarly endorses that.