President Donald Trump stated on Fox News Channel’s “In graham Angle” that he does not want his supporters confronting violent, left-wing protesters. He added that his supporters are good people who “can’t believe” the violence happening in America, but that it should be left to law enforcement.
Fox News host Laura Ingram asked the president, “Do you want your supporters to confront the left-wing protesters, or do you want to leave it to law enforcement?”
Trump replied, “No. No, I don’t want them. I want to leave it to law enforcement. But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people. And they turn on their television set, and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha, before I got involved and stopped it, or they look at Chicago, where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died, or they look at New York, where violence is up by like, what? 150%. … They’re looking at all of this, and they can’t believe it.”
“It’s a peaceful protest. I mean, they were protesting. They weren’t — you know, it’s amazing, they want to protest, and they get criticized,” he added.
When Donald Trump said Sunday that he might pay the legal fees of a man charged with hitting a protester in the face at one of his rallies, it was the latest of many occasions when the leading Republican candidate for president appeared to condone or accept violence by supporters.
Heckling at rallies is a staple of all presidential campaigns, and the New York billionaire attracts more than average. For both Democrats and Republicans, it’s routine to urge unruly crowds to remain peaceful, as Trump often does
Trump did not specify which incident he was referring to, but he appeared to be talking about an assault in the audience during his rally Wednesday in Fayetteville, N.C. Police were ejecting a black protester, whom multiple videos show to have been loud but nonviolent, when a 78-year-old white man, John McGowan of Linden, N.C., hit the protester in the face.
