Has Donald Trump brought new whiff of violence to US politics?
The young black protester at the Trump rally never saw it coming. The punch hit him on the right side of the face and sent him reeling across the aisle. He鈥檇 been leaving the building, escorted by sheriff鈥檚 deputies, yelling at the crowd. A supporter of Mr. Trump 鈥� white, older, and wearing a cowboy hat 鈥� decided to silence him with a fist.
That鈥檚 what videos of the Wednesday incident in Fayetteville, N.C., show in any case. It鈥檚 a tempting metaphor, right? Black versus white. Youth versus age. .
The problem is it鈥檚 not just a metaphor. It鈥檚 also a real-life situation whose meaning is on its surface.
Trump鈥檚 candidacy for president attracts people who are angry enough to threaten others. That may be because Trump himself is unpredictable and prone to aggressive outbursts. Yet the United States system of government is based on a complicated system of balances and shared authority. Different groups have to cooperate to make it run. In America, you can鈥檛 punch your way to power.
Washington is jammed up enough as it is. What鈥檚 going to happen if we add the whiff of violence to the mix?
The North Carolina incident wasn鈥檛 isolated. Other Trump protesters have been roughed up and forcibly expelled. Reporters are targets too. According to an eyewitness account from a , on Tuesday Trump鈥檚 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski yanked another journalist out of Trump鈥檚 path by grabbing her arm, hard enough to leave bruises.
The Trump campaign denies the incident occurred.
Overall, journalists are worried that the atmosphere at Trump rallies is getting out of hand. In a highly unusual move, the White House Correspondents Association on Thursday issued a statement asking for calm, though it didn鈥檛 mention Trump by name.
鈥淏roadly speaking, the WHCA unequivocally condemns any act of violence or intimidation against any journalist covering the 2016 campaign, whether perpetrated by a candidate鈥檚 supporters, staff or security officers. We expect that all the contenders for the nation鈥檚 highest office agree that this would be unacceptable,鈥� said the White House correspondents group.
Yet Trump hasn鈥檛 forcibly condemned supporter violence. If anything he鈥檚 appeared to condone it. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to punch him in the face,鈥� Trump said of one protester at a February rally. Asked at Thursday night鈥檚 GOP debate whether he鈥檚 to blame for the most recent rally assault, Trump said he hoped not. Then he said in essence that the protesters deserve it.
鈥淲e have some protesters who are bad dudes, they have done bad things.... They鈥檝e got to be taken out, to be honest. I mean, we have to run something,鈥� Trump said.
The real estate billionaire is also pushing a strong-arm approach on policy. Perhaps that helps the rowdy atmosphere develop. He鈥檚 not just opposed to illegal immigration 鈥� he鈥檚 going to shut it off entirely with a wall that will be free because Mexico will pay for it. The US will seize Middle East oil to pay for its military operations in the region. Other countries are 鈥渓aughing at our stupidity鈥� on trade, and he鈥檒l make them cry instead.
His opponents aren鈥檛 just wrong; they鈥檙e contemptible. Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida is 鈥淟ittle Marco.鈥� Sen. Ted Cruz (R) of Texas is 鈥淟yin鈥� Ted.鈥�
This is not a form of political speech. It is a form of antipolitical speech. As New York Times columnist last month, politics is a way of governing divided societies without undue violence. It鈥檚 a muddled activity in which disappointment is normal.
Trump is promising his voters that they won鈥檛 have to be disappointed. In that sense he may be just the culmination of the rise of movements opposed to the norms of Washington deal-making. The tea party is the most obvious example of such a movement, according to Mr. Brooks, but this sensibility is not limited to the right side of the political spectrum.
鈥淯ltimately, they don鈥檛 recognize other people,鈥� Brooks wrote. 鈥淭hey suffer from a form of political narcissism, in which they don鈥檛 accept the legitimacy of other interests and opinions. They don鈥檛 recognize restraints. They want total victories for themselves and their doctrine.鈥�
However, Trump鈥檚 support is widely spread. While many Trump voters are lower-income, less-educated white men, they come from all demographics, from high-income suburban women to some self-identified Democrats.
What unites them? That鈥檚 a question that has yet to be definitively answered. But one likely suspect is . To political scientists, 鈥渁uthoritarianism鈥� is a personality trait that is defined by a predilection for order and a fear of outsiders. In some studies, Trump voters score high on an authoritarian scale.
In any case, the 鈥淎鈥� word seems apropos in the case of the punched protester. Local police have identified the puncher as one John McGraw. On Thursday, Mr. McGraw was charged with assault and disorderly conduct, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
Following his attack on the protester, McGraw returned to his seat, while bystanders congratulated him. Approached by a reporter, McGraw said he鈥檇 enjoyed hitting 鈥渢hat big mouth.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know who he is, but we know he鈥檚 not acting like an American,鈥� said McGraw, according to footage from the syndicated show 鈥�.鈥� 鈥淭he next time we see him, we might have to kill him.鈥�
