Since coming down from the ascent of Trump Tower in New York in 2015 to begin his primary campaign, Trump has made little effort to hide his respect for more violence. against his visible enemies. When Trump admitted brutal actions, he again held the language in a tit-for-tat style on both sides.
After protesters stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday – as Congress began to formally recognize the impact of President Joe Biden’s College of Election influence – Trump released a short video calling on the protesters go away. His statement had sympathy, saying to the protesters, “We love you, you are very special.”
Trump referred in the video to the false conspiracy theory that he won the 2020 election, saying, “I know your pain, I know you are hurt. We had a choice that was stolen It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, recognizing the other side. But you have to go home now. We must have peace. “
On social media posts, Trump said, “These are the things and events that happen when the effects of a holy landslide election are removed so unusually and so brutally.”
Twitter and Facebook removed some of his statements and suspended his accounts for a period of time, citing policy violations.
Too dominant
Trump has often avoided full-blown criticism in times of violence.
After the 2015 blow of a homeless man with two men making anti-immigrant statements saying, according to police, “Donald Trump was right,” Trump said he had not heard of the incident and said, he would ” embarrassed. ”He quickly went on to enlighten those who adhere to his views.
“I will say, the people who follow me are very passionate,” Trump said. “They love this country, they want this country to be good again.”
Trump later tweeted that the incident was “horrific” and that he would “never accept violence.”
At a rally in 2016 after an accuser was punished by a Trump supporter, Trump said days later that he “thought it was very, very appropriate,” and also “is That ‘s what we need a little more of. ”
‘Very good people’
After the White National protest in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, which sparked violence against protesters and one woman was killed, Trump blamed “many sides” for the attacks over the That Saturday. Staying quiet Sunday, Trump on Monday criticized the White and non-Nazi supremacists who took part in the rampage.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump changed course again and blamed non-Nazi and “left-wing” groups in the same way, saying, “You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was very violent as well. No one wants to say it, but I will say it right now. “
When asked about the non-Nazis at the rally, Trump said, “You had some really bad people in that group, but you also had people who were good people, on both sides,” he said. some were on the farther side. supports the maintenance of an Associative image.
Trump supporters have consistently said that this quota has been misinterpreted and stretched by political opponents, with no criticism of his views without the full context of the position. However, the purpose of that weekend was clear from the very beginning to anyone who wanted to attend: The event was organized by a White nationalist so that others could gather behind their cause. .
In 2019, defending those views, Trump said, “I have answered that question, and if you look at what I said, you will see that question has been answered perfectly.”
Fanning the flames in 2020
Complaints following the death of George Floyd in May led to demonstrations in Minneapolis.
After damaging buildings and stores, Trump took to Twitter to say “once the looting begins, the burning will begin.”
Twitter cited the tweet as a “clarification of violence based on historical context” of the line, which was used in the 1960s by a Miami police chief after riots.
Trump later said he referred to shooting in general, not firing by supporters or authorities.
During the first 2020 primary debate in September, Trump was asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether to criticize white rulers and militia groups.
“I am willing to do that,” said the President, without criticizing anyone. “I am willing to do anything. I want to see peace.” Trump denied and pursued a follow-up question, saying “almost everything” of the violence he has witnessed is from “Antifa and the left.”
“What do you want to call them,” the President said. “Give me a name. Give me a name. Who do you want to condemn me for? “
Biden then referred to the Proud Boys, a far-fetched group known for its anti-Muslim and misogynistic astronomy, which Trump captured.
“Proud Boys, stand back and stand close,” he said. “Someone has to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing.”
The first reaction to his comments was to criticize bipartisans, fearing that the “stand back and stand by” statement was a call for future militarism. Members of the Proud Boys immediately appeared.
Asked for clarification the next day if he confessed to White supremacists, Trump said, “I have always rejected any form, any form of that, you have to deny it,” before he added again called for Biden to deny Antifa groups.
“The problem is on the left and Biden refuses to talk about it, he refuses to issue the words law and order,” Trump said.
Trump, with a famous penchant for constantly posting on Twitter, waited for an interview with Fox News two days after the debate, saying, “Let me be clear again: I am critical the KKK. I criticize all white supremacists. I criticize the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I criticize that. ”
CNN’s Paul P. Murphy, Jason Hoffman, Kevin Liptak, Dan Merica, Brian Stelter and Donie O’Sullivan contributed to this report.
