Friday on CNN’s “The Lead,” Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump “set a very bad example” and “created an environment” of violence that influenced the anti-Trump mob that attacked Trump supporters leaving a rally last night in California.
Partial transcript as follows:
TAPPER: “There were some really ugly images on the TV screens yesterday, some really reprehensible attacks by anti-Trump protesters against people who support Donald Trump. Do you condemn the violence? What is your message to people who are protesting Donald Trump?”
CLINTON: “I condemn all violence in our political arena. I condemned it when Donald Trump was inciting it and congratulating people who were engaging it. I condemn it by those who are taking violent protests to physical assault against Donald Trump. This has to end. He set a very bad example. He created an environment in which it seemed to be acceptable for someone running for president to be inciting violence, to be encouraging his supporters. Now we’re seeing people who were against him responding in kind. It should all stop. It is not acceptable.”
TAPPER: “At the end of the day, do you think that those violent anti-Trump protesters actually might be helping him in a way by showing his opposition in such a horrendous light?”
CLINTON: “I don’t think any of this — people who were peacefully protesting against Trump, help Trump and I don’t think that people who are protesting and using physical violence against people is helping anybody. I don’t want to talk about the political implications. I want it to end. The police have a hard enough time to make sure that we’re able to gather and talk about the issues facing our country. And trump has lowered the bar. And now is it a surprise that people who don’t like him are stepping over that low bar? I don’t think it is. He needs to condemn all violence by everyone. I have and I will continue to do so.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN