Trump defends supporters: They should ‘swing back’
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday defended his supporters, arguing they should respond if protesters provoke violence.
Trump specifically cited an incident at a Nevada rally last month, where he believed a protester was violent with security guards.
{mosads}“He was a guy who was swinging, very loud and he started swinging. And you know what? The audience swung back, and it was very appropriate,” Trump said.
“He was swinging, he was hitting people and the audience hit back. That’s what we need a little bit more of.”
A CNN report from the Feb. 23 rally noted that the protester “did not appear to be fighting off those officers.”
Trump’s comments come one day after a man was charged with sucker-punching a protester at a Wednesday Trump rally in North Carolina.
Video shows Rakeem Jones being led out of the rally by police, extending his middle fingers to the crowd, when a man punched Jones in the face.
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