House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer on Monday accused Donald Trump of instigating the unrest and violence that has occurred at his recent campaign rallies.
“The more you egg people on, the more you appeal to their anger and their violent nature,” Hoyer, D-Md., said.
Several of Trump’s recent campaign events have been marked by disruptive protests, some of them coordinated by liberal groups like Moveon.org and Black Lives Matter.
But Hoyer said the blame rests with Trump and his use of confrontational rhetoric. Trump has called for supporters at his rallies fight back against the protesters and has even promised to pay the legal fees of those who physically take on demonstrators.
Trump said a protester who was punched in the face was “taunting” and “disruptive.”
Hoyer compared the unrest at the Trump rallies to the 1964 presidential campaign year, when Alabama Gov. George Wallace, a Democrat and segregationist, ran for the nomination.
“Candidates who tend to appeal to anger and encourage confrontation tend to have that their events,” Hoyer said, referring to the unrest at some of Trump’s campaign rallies.
The protesters, Hoyer said, were being attacked while “wanting to make their point,” at the events. Hoyer then read from a list of quotes from Trump in which he called for his supporters to stop the protesters.
“I don’t know of anybody that has stoked that violent behavior you have seen, who is clearly egging people on to commit violent acts,” Hoyer said.
