In a clear message to Donald Trump Saturday, President Obama told presidential candidates to stop provoking violence.
“They should speak out against violence, and reject efforts to spread fear or turn us against one another,” Obama told a group of Democratic supporters in Austin, Texas on Saturday. “And if they refuse to do that, they don’t deserve our support.”
“The best leaders, the leaders who are worthy of our votes, remind us that even in a country as big and diverse and inclusive as ours, what we’ve got in common is far more important than what divides any of us,” the president said.
Obama’s comments came a day after GOP front-runner Trump canceled a rally in Chicago, citing fear of violence between his supporters and protesters.
Trump on Saturday blamed protesters for inciting the violence, calling them “bad” people and his supporters good and law-abiding.
He said if he was threatened by violent confrontation, he and his campaign would fight back.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of Trump’s campaign rivals, called for Trump to stop inciting violence with rhetoric that divides rather than unites.
Kasich said the brash billionaire was creating a “toxic environment” that has led to violence at his rallies.
“There is no place for a national leader to prey on the fears of people who live in our great country,” Kasich said.
