Donald Trump, Jr., on Friday, surprised an 82-year-old Massachusetts man who was beaten this week for supporting his father, President Donald Trump.
Charlie Chace, an 82-year-old Air Force veteran, was beaten while he was waving a Trump sign at a rotary in Fall River. A 27-year-old man, later identified as Aidan Courtright, was charged by police in the incident.
The Providence Journal’s Jack Perry wrote:
The police say they were called Tuesday after an elderly man was ‘violently targeted for his political views and violently assaulted.’ The 82-year-old man told the police he was standing in a grassy area off North Main Street and Airport Road when a man stopped his car, got out, and walked toward him, screaming, ‘Give me the (expletive) sign!,’ the police said in a news release. The man, later identified as Aidan Courtright, of 41 Rolling Green Drive, then ripped the sign out of the victim’s hands, tore it in half, and threw it on the ground, the police said. Courtright then grabbed the victim by his shirt, knocking his hat off, and threw him to the ground, the police said. While the elderly man was on the ground, Courtright kicked him in his ribs and legs before driving away, the police said.
The story has gone viral after Boston’s local Channel 7 news interviewed Chase about it:
Then, Trump, Jr., tweeted about it this week, and after the Channel 7 intervie, Boston-area conservative radio host Howie Carr scheduled Chace to appear on his show on Friday. Unbeknownst to Chace, live during the interview, Trump, Jr., called in to thank him for his service to the country as a veteran and for his support for his father’s re-election campaign.
Trump, Jr., told Chace live on the show:
I just wanted to say I saw your story, I’m sorry you had to go through that, and we really appreciate the support. That shouldn’t be going on in America. I just wanted to say thank you for that support and thank you for that steadfast loyalty and for your service to our country. I want to have our team be able to get you some extra MAGA schwag, send you some hats and some gear and some flags and everything like that, just to say thank you for everything you stand for my friend.
Chace teared up on the show, and then said to Trump, Jr., “Well, I have to thank you guys. You don’t know how much you mean to us.” Trump, Jr. replied:
I promise you, it’s guys like you who keep us motivated, patriotic Americans. Again, just thank you so much for your service to this country. It means the world to us, and when I saw the story I obviously tweeted about it. I heard you were going to be on the radio today, so I just wanted to get on and personally thank you, both for today and for your past—your time in the armed services. Thank you so much—you guys are truly a remarkable generation and I wish we had more like you.”
Chace replied that violence from the left will not scare him away from supporting Trump.
“Well, thank you and this will not scare me away—I’m going to be doing this continuously right up until the election,” Chace said.
Carr, the host, intervened to note that Chace is “always working for Republicans,” including distributing newsletters and gathering signatures in his community for ballot initiatives.
After some more back and forth, Trump, Jr. said he looked forward to meeting Chase soon at a Trump rally and added: “Thank you for not backing down.”
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