Donald Trump said Sunday he may pay legal fees of a supporter who struck a protester at one of his campaign rallies, then threatened to kill the victim.
Trump discussed the incident on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The GOP front-runner said he does not condone violence, but he is looking into providing assistance to John McGraw, a 78-year-old man who a video shows sucker punching a protestor, 26-year-old Rakeem Jones, as Jones left a Trump rally. Jones was not facing McGraw and did not see the attack coming.
Trump said he “instructed my people to look into it,” when asked about paying McGraw’s legal fees. Critics who argue Trump condones violence at his events have cited his pledges to pick up legal tabs for supporters charged for attacking protestors. Trump’s claim Sunday seems to support those allegations.
Trump said Jones had given the middle finger as he was leaving the rally. Trump suggested the gesture justified McGraw’s attack, which led to assault charges. It’s unclear from videos if McGraw’s fist or elbow struck Jones.
Trump said McGraw “got carried away” but “he obviously loves his country, and maybe he doesn’t like seeing what’s happening to the country.”
McGraw told a reporter that he enjoyed punching Jones. “You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth,” McGraw said. “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.”
“When they punch it’s okay,” Trump said Sunday, speaking of protestors at his rallies. “But when my people punch [it’s] ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible.'”
“The fact is we have very peaceful rallies,” Trump said.
“Meet the Press” Host Chuck Todd interupted: “When you say ‘If you see someone ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, I promise I’ll pay the legal fees,’ how is that not condoning?”
“I have no objection to what I have said. People are there doing harm,” Trump said. “You have to use equal force.”
