National Review Columnist, Steamboat Institute Senior Fellow, and Opportunity Lives Senior Contributor Tom Rogan argued that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is not to blame for violence at his rallies because “the predominant factor is unfortunately that you do see these people coming in, trying to instigate tension and violence” and that while “there are elements in the Trump audience who want to have a fight” Trump isn’t to blame because he’s just using “campaign banter” on Friday’s “McLaughlin Group.”
Rogan said, “What you see here is, there are elements in the Trump audience who want to have a fight. And you’ve seen that with the guy who sucker-punched the guy. But I think the predominant factor is unfortunately that you do see these people coming in, trying to instigate tension and violence, and then people getting annoyed. And I have to say, as much as I strongly disagree with his politics, and really desperately hope he doesn’t become the nominee, I don’t buy the line of argument that Trump is to blame for this, because I think, quite frankly, it’s campaign banter. And the American people have a line. It’s not like — you know, jump off a cliff. OK, I’m going to jump off a cliff. It’s banter.”
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