Presidential Rally Violence at an Ultimate High
As the Presidential race starts coming to an end, a look back on rally and campaign violence and reactions from the candidates doesn’t seem too far fetched. Not all rallies have resulted in violence, but it seems to be a fact that one candidate in particular has the most assault charges resulting from rallies.
Donald Trump has seen violence at virtually every rally he has hosted while running for office. One in Chicago, a primarily Democratic and diverse city, was interrupted and cancelled because of protester violence before the billionaire had even taken stage. Though many acts of violence seen at Trump rallies spawn from supporters assaulting those who protest or wear anti-Trump clothing, at the Chicago rally, the police had to intervene with force. It has been said that at least one man was hit with a police baton and had a bloodied gash on his head. Additionally, an injured woman was escorted out as well. Signs were seen with the the words “Donald Trump has got to go” and images caricaturing Mr. Trump as a fascist with a Hitler mustache. In one Chicago-based insult, a protester sported a sign reading, “Trump puts ketchup on his hot dog.” A group of three men wore shirts that read, “Muslims United Against Trump.” When Trump was asked about the decision to cancel the rally, he stated, “I felt it was just safer. I don’t want to see anybody get hurt.”
But the violence at Trump rallies didn’t stop there. On March 29th, in a video posted by ABC, a 15-year-old girl from Janesville, Wisconsin, is seen accusing a man of sexually assaulting her, taking a swing at someone off camera, and then later being maced at close range. When the girl is pepper sprayed, several Trump supporters in the crowd cheer loudly. The Janesville police released a statement that said, “We are currently looking for two suspects, one for the sexual assault and one for the pepper spray.”
This number adds to the tally of police filed reports from Trump rallies, with a total of 55 reports across a total of 12 rallies. Over one-fifth of these reports are from victims claiming that they had been pushed, punched, or called racial slurs and inappropriate names. In Orlando, more than 60 protesters were escorted out through the crowd while being shoved, manhandled, and punched by Trump supporters. Trump’s response to the violence and abuse wasn’t even close to trying to put an end to it. Some might say he was slightly encouraging it. “It’s sort of exciting, isn’t it? Sort of exciting!” Trump cheered as another protester was escorted from the area, “Aren’t the Trump rallies the greatest?”
When asked about the violence at his rallies, Trump also stated, “People come [to Trump campaign events] with tremendous passion and love for their country…. When they see what’s going on in this country, they have anger that’s unbelievable. They have anger. They love this country…They don’t like seeing a loss of their jobs…. And I see it. There’s some anger. There’s also great love for the country. It’s a beautiful thing in many respects. But I certainly do not condone that at all.”
Trump isn’t the only candidate to have protesters or violence at a rally, but he is the only one whose rallies have received the most intense physical aggression. Trump’s rallies are the only ones with evidence in the form of videos, photos, and audio recordings that show outright violence, accusations of Nazi-like salutes, and chants to light a black protester on fire. So here is where the final question lies: are the protesters really to blame for the violence like Trump says?
Whitney Moran here. If I was asked to describe myself in less than 5 minutes, to say I would have a challenge would be a stretch. I am a Varsity lacrosse...