There are basically two sides to this debate, one side blames Trump for the violence that is occurring at his rallies, and the other side defends him, putting blame on the actual participants of the violence. The protestors that target Trump rallies are seen by many as trying to suppress the right to free expression of Trump and his supporters. However, the tone of many Trump rallies has literally encouraged violence. So who actually deserves to have the finger pointed at them?

The other Republican candidates have not held back from criticizing Trump for inciting violence. However, they have stopped short of saying they felt he deserves any type of physical confrontations. They certainly feel he helped create the conditions that would result in a violent environment, but are smart enough to know that Trump cannot be held responsible for every response to his campaign messages.

This country has made it a habit to excuse criminals and inappropriate behavior resulting in tragedies and instead blame an influence or tool, such as a gun or political rhetoric. Trump is not responsible for the actions of anyone but himself. However, as a role model who is running for president in 2016, doesn’t he have a responsibility to lead by example? It is really easy to see both sides of this debate.

We would suggest that it is simply a ‘perfect storm’ brewing that sets the conditions for these protests to go wrong. The general mood of the nation is that of anger and frustration regarding how Washington has let America down.

This leads to a tense and volatile disposition among voters that is more easily swayed towards violence than a complacent or satisfied public. The heightened emotional state of voters combined with messages that incite anger and encourage violence simply creates this perfect storm.

The sitting president and administration are as much to blame for any volatile situations during the election season as any candidate is.

First Amendment Rights

Making it simple, Trump’s first amendment rights allow him to say whatever he wants at his political rallies. If he wants to ban Muslims as president, then he has the right to express this to attendees at his rallies. Many people may hate that he says these things, however, they don’t have the right to stop him from saying it by suppressing his first amendment rights through harming him or anyone else at a public gathering.

If someone really wants to protest Trump’s words or actions, they can do it by supporting another candidate. This is far more effective and does not violate anyone else’s rights. If someone does not like what he says at his rallies, then don’t go to them.

If someone does want to protest at a rally, do so peacefully outside the event where you can still be seen but are not causing an emotionally charged disruption that can be categorized as violent.

What these protesters don’t realize is that they are actually helping him spread his message in the long run. They are giving him more free press, which is an expanded platform on which to share this message that they hate so much.

They are also making him into a victim, which will only endear his supporters to him more rather than influencing any of them to vote for someone else. Isn’t taking votes away from him the ultimate goal of protesting his rallies and his message? Nobody will convince his supporters they are serious if they are being disruptive and/or violent.

Trump’s Response

Trump is publicly defending his rally attendees who have engaged protesters confrontationally. While this may be frowned on by many, his supporters are seeing him stand by them, stand up for them and be loyal to them, which only makes them love him more.

Politically it’s a brazen and effective move that solidifies his supporter base and makes sure they are not going anywhere. He’s willing to sacrifice the ‘politically correct’ response of disavowing any bad behavior by his supporters for the benefit of bonding with them. These protests are going to have anything but the intended impact on the Trump campaign.

Trump denies that his events have become too violent and insists that these are isolated incidents that are being sensationalized by the media. However, he has been receiving criticism for some time for having hecklers and those who loudly disagree at his rallies escorted out. Donald Trump undeniably remains a controversial presence in the presidential race.