CNN's Jake Tapper interviewed Bernie Sanders, specifically on the topic of violence at Trump rallies. He opens by playing a clip where Trump blamed Bernie Sanders, who he called a "communist," for disrupting recent rallies.
Trump issued a warning in a set of tweets on Sunday
In the interview with Tapper, Sanders has a few comments about Trump's accusation that his campaign had anything to do with disrupting his recent rallies
"As almost everyone knows, this man cannot stop lying about anything...Disrupting his meeting is a lie. Certainly we had nothing to do with disrupting his meeting...."
When asked about violence at Trump rallies, and Trump's responsibility in fostering an acceptance and encouragement of such behavior, Sanders said:
"His language, his intonation, when he talks about carrying people out on stretchers. Rallies where people sucker punch folks, kick people when they are down...this is a campaign that is implying violence. He, in fact, has got to tell his supporters that in the United States of America that you don't go around beating people up...people have a right to peacefully protests..."
Tapper asks Bernie about the accusation that the group "People for Bernie" are an official campaign group. Sanders reasserted that
"[his]campaign had nothing do to [about] it. to protest is one thing, to disrupt is another....it was not our campaign"
Sanders closes the interview by mentioning the fact that Trump's campaign manager is now facing charges for assaulting Brietbart reporter, Michelle Fields. He lays the blame for all of the violence on Trump himself.
Trump can deflect all he want, blame the protesters, but at the end of the day, it is his hate rhetoric that is emboldening his supporters to assault people purely based on the color of their skin. Until he denounces it, the violence will continue.
When someone gets killed, inevitably, the blood will be on Trump's hand.
