Chicagoans Shut Down Trump Rally

12 Mar, 2016

U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump canceled a campaign rally Friday night amid security concerns just hours after the Republican front-runner earned the endorsement of a former rival who said the billionaire’s pugnacious campaign style is belied by a more thoughtful, private side.

The thousands of protesters who showed up for Trump’s rally Friday evening at the University of Illinois at Chicago – along with thousands of supporters – showed little indication they had noticed anything but the candidate’s combative campaign style.

The university arena turned into a chaotic scene as the two warring sides amped up their positions. A half hour after the rally was slated to begin, a Trump campaign staffer announced it was being postponed for safety reasons, unleashing competing chants of “We dumped Trump!” and “We want Trump!” throughout the packed venue.

“We made a great decision not to have the rally,” Trump told CNN after meeting with law enforcement and making the call.

“I am not a person that wants to see violence,” he added.

Trump blamed protesters for creating disturbances at his campaign events and said it is a “love fest” among his supporters.

Friday’s event in Chicago stood out because the huge number of protesters virtually matched the number of Trump supporters, as opposed to other Trump campaign events where protesters have been a very small, albeit vocal, minority.

Earlier in the day, speaking at a public event in St. Louis, Missouri, Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters who were led out of the event by police and security, an increasingly common occurrence at his raucous rallies.

“He’s all mouth, get him out,” Trump shouted as one of the protesters was led out. “Go back to mommy,” he said as another protester was led away.

Trump’s controversial campaign has led many Republican establishment figures to call for an all-out effort to prevent him from winning the nomination – an effort that Carson said would fracture the Republican Party and ensure a Democratic win in November.

In St. Louis, Trump’s speech was interrupted more than a half-dozen times by protesters. Scuffles between Trump supporters and protesters have become more frequent, and a protester was punched in North Carolina on Wednesday by a Trump supporter who has been charged with assault.

“The officers are being very gentle,” Trump advised, telling the crowd later, “It adds to the flavor, makes it more exciting, isn’t this better than listening to a long boring speech?”

Reuters

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