Donald Trump’s rallies have been full of violence and riots recently, as the possibility that he will win the Republican nomination becomes greater and greater. Naturally, Trump has not condemned the violence, but applauded it and even excused his supporters’ actions. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have teamed up in accusing Trump of inciting violence.
According to New York Magazine, Donald Trump offered to pay the legal fees of the man who allegedly punched a black protester at one of his rallies. “What this means is that Donald Trump is literally inciting violence with his supporters. He is saying if you go out and beat somebody up, that’s okay, I’ll pay the legal fees,” Sanders explained during a CNN town hall on Sunday night. “This is an outrage and I would hope that Mr. Trump…tells his supporters that violence is not acceptable in the American political process.”
Clinton followed Sanders’ lead with a similar statement at the town hall. “It is clear that Donald Trump is running a very cynical campaign pitting groups of Americans against one another. He is trafficking hate and fear,” Clinton said, according to CNN. “You don’t make America great by tearing down everything that made America great.”
You don’t make America great by getting rid of everything that made America great in the first place. pic.twitter.com/zfpkYT3UTD
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 14, 2016
These statements came as the two Democratic candidates were making closing statements before five more states’ primaries on Tuesday. The Democratic nomination could still go either way, making these primaries even more important.
Outside of Sanders and Clinton’s accusations, Trump had some of his own issues with the two candidates. He blamed Clinton and Sanders supporters for showing up at Trump events, accusing them of telling their voters to do so. Trump even threatened Sanders in a Tweet, telling him to be careful or “my supporters will go to your [events]!”
Bernie Sanders is lying when he says his disruptors aren’t told to go to my events. Be careful Bernie, or my supporters will go to yours!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2016
One of the notable riots came on Friday before a Trump rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago. According to BBC, hundreds of protestors gathered there, and fights broke out between them and the Trump supporters. Trump postponed the event, saying that the police recommended that he do so. However, a Chicago Police Department spokesman said that the force never told Trump to postpone anything, and in fact assured him that the police could keep him safe, according to CBS.
Just one day later, a man unsuccessfully tried to rush Trump while he spoke onstage in Ohio. Trump’s campaign manager has even been accused of assaulting journalist Michelle Fields, formerly of Breitbart.
Trump’s campaign of “hate and fear” is already inciting violence and hate among the crowds—imagine what would happen if he won the nomination. That doesn’t sound like “Making America great” to me.