Let me point out that Trump was talking about a contested convention, in which no single candidate has secured a majority of delegates. In this situation, according to the rules of the Party he chose to run for, all delegates are allowed to change their vote to another candidate.
Trump has been presenting this warning the way Fox News presents the news -- "He reports. They decide." In other words, he's merely making an observation, he's not calling for or condoning violence.
He would never do anything like that.
When have we ever heard him do anything like that?
This warning is a dog whistle if I never heard one (I never heard it because, according to the metaphor, only dogs can hear dog whistles and the metaphorical dogs in this case are those who would be the kind of person who would riot if they didn't get their way. So, since the whistle was intended for Trump supporters, I never heard it. It's kind of a paradox.)
Now, the whole right-wing media propaganda machine/complex has gone on a very aggressive disinformation campaign to make the protesters out as the aggressors and initiators of violence at the Trump rallies.
They are furiously talking the hell out of this and spinning a twisted yarn. "Thugs" has become the operative word now whenever the right-wingers talk about the left. Sean Hannity, the master of repetition, has already logged countless hours using this word and spinning this reality. Rush Limbag, Fox News and the entire right-wing hate machine has been at it 24/7. The hyperbole knows no bounds. The other day, I heard Michael Savage scream to his audience, "MoveOn is the American ISIS!!!" (I am serious)
My God, when I first started to attend those meetings, twelve years ago, that MoveOn had been inviting me to, via emails, I had no idea that I was collaborating with a bunch of murderous terrorists. I thought they were just teachers, lawyers, accountants and retirees. All along, I assumed we were merely exercising our right to peaceably assemble and to petition our representatives for a redress of grievances, as explicitly provided for by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. I didn't know it was all just preparation for the torture and beheadings that we've been committing since, well, whenever it was that we've been doing that.
Before I get into the question of who's to blame for the violence, let's settle the question of who is a thug. Here's Merriam-Webster's definition: a violent person, especially a criminal.
Mr Trump likes to portray himself as a non-politician who doesn't suffer political correctness. Yet we can see how, just like a politician, he will tailor his speech according to his audience. For instance, when he's speaking to Mormons, he doesn't litter his speech with F-bombs or tell them that Mitt Romney would have been willing to give him a blow job in return for his endorsement. He just tells them how smart Mormons are and how Romney can't be a Mormon because he's so stupid. Or when he's talking to Jews, he tells them what good negotiators they are, not how they're always able to "jew someone down." And I'm certain he would never tell them that they are "niggardly" (stingy), especially if Sammy Davis Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Maya Rudolph, Rashida Jones, Lisa Bonet or Drake was in the audience.
And when he's being interviewed before a national audience about the violence during his rallies, he doesn't reminisce about the good old days when protesters would be carried out on stretchers. Instead, he says, "I don't condone violence."
So my question for Mr Trump is, when you talk at rallies to your supporters about liking to punch protesters in the face, or tell them to knock the crap out of hecklers and promise to pay their legal fees, what kind of a person do you think you are talking to? What is the personality type that would be receptive to that kind of talk?
Maybe it's the kind of person who would take you up on that offer you made
and sucker-punch (actually it was an elbow -- MMA style) a heckler who was being
escorted out of the building by police, and then threaten to kill him if he saw
him again.
What was that definition of thug, again?
"A violent person, especially a criminal."
Amazingly, the police completely ignored the thug who threw the elbow, John McGraw, but tackled the guy who was assaulted! McGraw was eventually arrested but only after the video was shown all over the place, over and over again. He was charged with assault and battery, disorderly conduct and communicating threats. After that incident, Trump actually said he was looking into paying the thug's legal fees, just like he promised. Two days later, though, he kind of back tracked.
If Trump doesn't pay, wouldn't it be great if the thug sued him, on the grounds that he promised (three times) to pay anyone's legal fees if they "knocked the crap" out of the hecklers? The guy who was assaulted (Rakeem Jones) by the Trump-supporting thug, should also sue Trump, for inciting the thug to commit that crime. It would be especially great because Trump is always threatening to sue people.
Remember when he threatened to sue Bill Maher?
Another interesting thing. During that rally, Trump was yelling at the protesters to "Get out!" "Go home to mommy!" and, this is my favorite, "Get a job!"
Obviously, these were all meant as insults. The insult being, of course, if
you don't have your own place and a job, you're a loser.
Funny thing, right after that rally, Trump tried to defend his supporters' violent, thuggish behaviors by explaining that they were angry because there are no jobs. People just can't get jobs. He explained that this was because of Obama, of course, whom he also called "the great divider." According to Trump, Obama was making people angry because he destroyed all the jobs (despite all the job statistics) and because he was dividing the country. He blamed Obama for the whole thing.
Yeah. Making people angry and dividing the country. That's Obama's thing. He's exactly the kind of person who would do something like that. How do you think he got people to vote for him? Remember his rallies? "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America—there's the United States of America."
Funny thing, right after that rally, Trump tried to defend his supporters' violent, thuggish behaviors by explaining that they were angry because there are no jobs. People just can't get jobs. He explained that this was because of Obama, of course, whom he also called "the great divider." According to Trump, Obama was making people angry because he destroyed all the jobs (despite all the job statistics) and because he was dividing the country. He blamed Obama for the whole thing.
Yeah. Making people angry and dividing the country. That's Obama's thing. He's exactly the kind of person who would do something like that. How do you think he got people to vote for him? Remember his rallies? "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America—there's the United States of America."
You see, that's code for "Vote for me and I'll get rid of all the White people."
So let's get this straight. Trump talks to his supporters like they're a bunch of thugs, and he says they don't have jobs, which makes them angry. And what else is a person to do when they get angry, other than commit acts of violence or riot?
Based on the aforementioned evidence, I would like to posit the following suggestion: Trump thinks his supporters are thugs and losers.
The "Get a job!" line has apparently become a popular theme with his supporters because they used it again just a few days ago when they yelled that at a Muslim-American protester, who was being forcibly ejected from a Trump rally, for holding up a sign that read "Stop Hate Speech Against Muslims"
Not only did the protester, Nate Terani, have a job, but he is an American
Navy veteran of over ten years.
Muslim
Vet Booted From Trump Rally, Told To "Get A Job." Guess What He Does For A
Living...
