Trump, front-runner for the Republican nomination, appeared unchastened after simmering discord between his supporters and protesters angry over his positions on immigration and Muslims turned into a palpable threat on Friday.
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Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is blaming Democratic rival Bernie Sanders for organizing people, many of whom he said were “thugs”, to go to his campaign events and spark protests, and has warned that his own supporters will show up at Sanders’ rallies. Protesters clash with supporters at a Donald Trump rally in Chicago. But then, Michel, as you point out, this morning on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Trump said he is considering paying the legal fees of a man who is charged with punching a protester at another rally in North Carolina a few days ago. Trump has often built up such a lead in early voting, or such high levels of support among early deciders, that his weaker showing among late deciders simply doesn’t matter. During his campaign addresses, Trump several times stopped and denounced the disruptions and announced they were some of “Bernie’s people”.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a radio interview on Monday that the violence at Trump’s events were very concerning and “there is never an excuse for condoning violence, or even a culture that presupposes it”.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who endorsed Trump back in January, let loose on the protesters who have been interrupting the real estate mogul’s rallies, calling their actions “petty punk-a- little thuggery”.
Sanders said his supporters had disrupted Trump events.
Palin is not the first to call Trump’s protesters “thugs”. “It’s a good thing to do'”. Protests sparingly interrupted his remarks, less than 48 hours after he canceled a planned event in Chicago amid widespread altercations among his supporters, detractors and authorities.
So are Republican officials who want the political rewards of riding the Trump wave without risking shared responsibility for the contemptible behavior he has encouraged in his followers. Trump is promoting violence behind his facade of peace.
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After a weekend of interruptions on the campaign trail the billionaire businessman continues to campaign before Tuesday’s primaries in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.
