Bodily violence, whether real or suggested, has been a recurring theme of Trump’s rallies since the early days of his campaign, when he instructed his personal security detail to
forcibly remove Univision anchor
Jorge Ramos from a press conference. Journalists who are allowed into Trump’s events are consigned to designated press pens, which the candidate frequently points to during rallies, inciting jeers from the crowd. In late February, Trump took his hostile relationship with the press further, openly
floating the idea of expanding libel laws to make it easier to sue the media and “make lots of money” doing so.
Last week, a Time photographer was choked and slammed to the ground by a Secret Service agent for drifting outside the designated media zone. Trump, meanwhile, has begun asking his supporters to raise their hands and recite loyalty pledges in moments that recall
Leni Riefenstahl. The laundry list of violence has grown so long that
The New York Times dedicated an entire article to the dangers of protesting a Donald Trump rally.
Physical altercations at Trump campaign events have not been limited to violent interactions between Trump supporters and protesters, or security and journalists, either. On Tuesday, Trump campaign manager
Corey Lewandowski allegedly injured Breitbart reporter
Michelle Fields when he grabbed her arm as she attempted to ask Trump a question.
The Daily Beast reported his grip was hard enough to leave a “purple bruise.” Lewandowski, according to the outlet, told Breitbart’s Washington political editor,
Matthew Boyle, that “he and Fields had never met before and that he didn’t recognize her as a Breitbart reporter, instead mistaking her for an adversarial member of the mainstream media.”
Donald Trump’s Rallies Are Becoming Increasingly Violent