The recent Trump rallies have not been peaceful events. Amidst the fiery rhetoric and the surge of protesters, we’ve even seen violence break out at several Trump events.
At a rally in North Carolina, as a protester was being escorted out by several police officers, a rally attendee punched the protester in the face. The man, later identified as John McGraw, was not arrested on site, although he was later charged with assault. When questioned about the protester, McGraw said:
“The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.”
A reporter on the scene asked McGraw if he had enjoyed the event. He thoroughly did so. And his response about his particular favorite part of the rally?
“Knocking the hell out of that big mouth.”
According to him, the protester was not acting like an American.
Despite officers at the rally not arresting McGraw immediately after throwing the punch, he was later charged with assault and disorderly conduct by the local sheriff’s office. The police are currently investigating the event, both the assault itself, and if the officers that were escorting the protester out were aware of the punch.
While it’s easy to say that the actions of supporters are not reflected by the views of whom they support, Trump’s rhetoric has a habit of appearing to promote violence. At a previous rally in Ohio, Trump advocated that if any of his supporters noted protesters than they should “knock the hell out of them.” He then promised to pay their legal fees in the event they were arrested. No word yet on if Trump will pay for McGraw’s fees.
Featured image is a screencap from video.
