If Donald Trump has a personal credo, it might be something like what he said Friday morning in Palm Beach: “When somebody hits, I have to hit back.”
Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Trump was talking specifically about the debates with his fellow Republican candidates for president. But his mantra seems to have been taken literally by a few of his supporters. Most recently, a 78-year-old North Carolina man was arrested after sucker-punching a protester at a Trump rally. Asked at Thursday’s CNN debate about whether Trump himself primes his fans to react violently to those who disagree with him, the candidate chalked it up to the “passion” of his supporters. He also argued that in many cases, the protesters started it by “swing” and “hitting people” at his rallies.
