Trump canceled a rally in Chicago Friday over alleged security concerns and later told news networks its the protesters not his supporters that are instigating the violence. After multiple protesters were escorted out of the building by police, Trump called for their arrest.
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Amid the interruptions, Trump asked law enforcement officers securing the site to arrest the protesters, telling the audience that fear of an “arrest mark” on people’s records may put an end to the near-constant disruptions at his rallies.
Chief Mike Etter of the Dayton Airport police department said the protester had jumped over bike racks and leapt towards the stage.
But Chicago may not be a one-off: Activists in Kansas City, Missouri, say they’re also expecting to shut down the Trump event at a downtown theater Saturday. He is expected to be met with more protests and local officials said they would be deploying extra police.
“All of the sudden a planned attack just came out of nowhere”, he added.
Crowd now chanting “Bernie! I’m not a person that wants to see people hurt”, Trump said.
“Get your people in line, Bernie”, Trump said.
Trump said the protests were “very professionally done” and placed some blame on Vermont Sen. And I hope they’re arrested.
Rubio said he would prefer to endorse the GOP candidate. “When he talks about…” I think you’ve seen some of this on college campuses recently.
Inside the venue, the atmosphere was tense, with a large contingent of anti-Trump protesters gathered in a cluster in the middle of the arena.
One protester, student Ali Alhechimi told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper: “This is a victory”.
Trump’s rallies in recent weeks have been marked by frequent clashes between his supporters and protesters, many of whom are young African-Americans and Latinos.
As he did the previous night in a round of phoned in TV interviews, Trump didn’t walk back any of his rhetoric Saturday. “I don’t want to ruin people’s lives”.
“They were pouring into the arena”, Trump said. “They can swing and hit people, but if we hit them back, it’s a bad, awful thing, right?”
Matt Miller, a Trump supporter who owns a body shop in Dayton, said he was standing near the podium when the agents took to the stage to protect Trump.
“Donald Trump has created a toxic environment”, John Kasich said.
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Trump appeared to be unfazed by the incident, giving a thumbs and saying: “I was ready for him, but it’s much easier if the cops do it”.
