A resource for journalists and for shutting down your crazy uncle.
VICE wrote an article today about all the evidence they complied that linked Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, with the KKK. You can read the entire article here.
It is important to remember to not fall into the guilt by association logical fallacy and instead try to understand the evidence in the context of what we know about Donald Trump.
A black man, Rakeem Jones, protested a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina. As he was being escorted out of the rally by men in “Sheriff’s Office” uniforms, Jones was punched in the face by a Trump supporter, John Franklin McGraw, wearing a cowboy hat. The officers then quickly wrestled Jones (the victim) to the ground, pinned his arms behind his back, and led him out of the venue.
The man who punched the protester, identified as John McGraw, told Inside Edition that his actions were justified.
The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. We don’t know who he is. He might be with a terrorist organization.
When McGraw was charged with assault, Trump contemplated owning up to his promise to pay for an attacker’s legal fees, then walked back his promise. However Trump did later defend McGraw on CNN.
Trump gave his supporters permission to beat up protestors. What the hell do you think would start to happen?
Protests at Trump rallies do not occur in a vacuum. Since he first announced his candidacy, Trump continues to make racist, sexist, and authoritarian remarks that marginalizes anyone who do not meet his view of white and conservative enough. A full list of protests can be found here.
John Franklin McGraw pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of assault and battery and disorderly conduct. A judge also ordered McGraw to pay $180 in court costs, a $250 fine, and was placed under one year of probation.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2016/03/donald-trump-supporter-sucker-punches-black-protester
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/5/donald-trump-gives-supporters-permissions-be-viole/
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-protester-sucker-punch-legal-pay-2016-3
On the campaign trail Trump has made slowing or stopping the outsourcing of jobs to other countries a major talk point. However it has been pointed out that Trump also engages in outsourcing and this also extends to the his Ivanka Trump brand, which included dresses, purses, shoes and other accessories that reflect Trump’s daughter’s taste.
Of the 838 Ivanka products advertised through the trump.com, none appear to be made exclusively in the U.S.; 628 are said to be “imported” and 354 made specifically in China.
If you are an American economist who believes that international trade is good for the U.S., there is nothing wrong with what the Trumps have been doing. Indeed, he and his daughter have been providing Americans with products they want at relatively low prices. But how do you reconcile a business model based on importing with professions of deep belief that manufacturing should be brought back to America?
A man identified by the Associated Press as Steve Travers from Tampa showed up to Trump’s rally dressed as a white brick wall with “MEXICO WILL PAY!” scrawled across his chest.
Omg. Trump's Wall is literally at his rally. #FloridaPrimary pic.twitter.com/OtdObgfm8j
— The Interim (@85thLegislature) March 5, 2016
Florida, you have to be proud.
@85thLegislature @daveweigel it looks like that person could have just as easily been a Pink Floyd fan. #AnotherBrickInTheWall
— Kaliko Castille (@WizKaliko) March 5, 2016
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tamerragriffin/trump-wall-at-the-trump-rally#.wv0pLrBwPX
Donald Trump led a mass rally in taking a pledge affirming their commitment to voting for him, and vowed to broaden existing laws regarding the interrogation of captured terrorist suspects.
The scene unfolded during a raucous rally at a University of Central Florida arena in Orlando, Florida, that featured frequent interruptions by protesters over Trump’s hour-long address.
“Let’s do a pledge. Who likes me in this room?” Trump asked the crowd. “I’ve never done this before. Can I have a pledge? A swearing? Raise your right hand.”
The Republican front-runner then had the audience repeat after him.
“I do solemnly swear that I, no matter how I feel, no matter what the conditions, if there are hurricanes or whatever, will vote on or before the 12th for Donald J. Trump for President.”
The crowd ended the pledge with cheers.
“Now I know. Don’t forget you all raised your hands. You swore. Bad things happen if you don’t live up to what you just did,” Trump said before continuing with his speech.
Some media sites sold this event as a Nazi salute, but quite frankly I don’t buy that. I think if anything it was bad optics on Trump’s part. If I were voting against Trump I would focus my energy at his comments about broadening illegal torture instead.
See look. Nazis…
GIF of Trump supporters raising their right hands pledging to vote for him pic.twitter.com/NjXNvz6WJw (Via @BuzzFeedNews)
— Independent Journal (@INJO) March 5, 2016
Not Nazis…
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/03/08/3757605/donald-trump-nazi-salute-ignorant/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/
Donald Trump says a violent episode involving a protester at one of his rallies “was amazing to watch.”
The Republican presidential front-runner told a Warren, Michigan audience on Friday that he’s tired of political correctness when it comes to handling protesters. He was interrupted several times during his remarks by yelling protesters, as he often is at his events.
During one interruption, Trump said:
“Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court. Are Trump rallies the most fun?” He then asked the crowd. “We’re having a good time.”
He then recalled an incident at a New Hampshire rally where a protester started “swinging and punching.” Trump said some people in the audience “took him out.”
It was really amazing to watch.
Comments like these add to the growing evidence that Donald Trump supports and condones violence against people with different ideas.
Black Lives Matter protesters were ejected from Donald J Trump Rally in New Orleans LA.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/protesters_crash_donald_trumps.html
Three people were assaulted at a Donald Trump rally in Louisville, Kentucky, and have since filed a lawsuit against the Republican presidential candidate, saying he “incited a riot.”
Molly Shah, Kashiya Nwanguma and Henry Brousseau filed the lawsuit on Thursday in Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, claiming that Trump’s repeated calls of “get them out” at a rally at the Kentucky International Convention Center on March 1 was intended to direct his supporters to “use unwanted, harmful physical force to remove protesters, including the plaintiffs.”
The lawsuit also names as defendants the Trump campaign and three individuals who the plaintiffs claim assaulted them at the rally.
This was not the only incident at the event.
Protests at Trump rallies do not occur in a vacuum. Since he first announced his candidacy, Trump continues to make racist, sexist, and authoritarian remarks that marginalizes anyone who do not meet his view of white and conservative enough. A full list of protests can be found here.
Full speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hzc9yL3_n8
It wasn’t long before protester, Shiya Nwanguma, was being pushed, shoved, and forcibly removed from a rally by white supremacists after Donald Trump noticed a sign she was holding and yelled, “Get her out of here.”
“I was called a nigger and a cunt and got kicked out,” said Shiya Nwanguma, a University of Louisville student. “They were pushing and shoving at me, cursing at me, yelling at me, called me every name in the book. They’re disgusting and dangerous.”
(h/t Washington Times, Insider Louisville)
This was not the only incident at the Louisville rally. Donald Trump promised to pay the legal fees if anyone roughs up a protester, what the hell did you think would start to happen?
Thankfully there has been repercussions for at least one of the assailants. Future Marine Joseph Pryor will no longer have the chance to be a future Marine.
A large group of black students attending a Donald Trump rally at Valdosta State University Monday were escorted out by law enforcement before the event started.
The young people said they had planned to sit in silent protest, but were escorted out by security officials before the presidential candidate began speaking. The incident was recorded on video by several attendees. (Some of the footage can be found here, here and here.)
“We didn’t plan to do anything,” Tahjila Davis, a 19-year-old mass media major, told The Des Moines Register. “They said, ‘This is Trump’s property; it’s a private event.’ But I paid my tuition to be here.”
Brooke Gladney, a 22-year-old marketing and business management major, said: “The only reason we were given was that Mr. Trump did not want us there.”
News reports placed the number of students escorted out at about 30.
Kicking out anticipated protestors isn’t an uncommon practice for Trump events, but this was one of the largest groups so far in his campaign. It occurred hours after a Secret Service agent choke-slammed a Time magazine photographer attempted to capture images of #BlackLivesMatter protesters at an event in Virginia.
Though at least one outlet reported the students were kicked out based on a request by the Trump campaign, the campaign denies that was the case.
“There is absolutely zero truth to that,” says campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks.
MSNBC‘s Chris Hayes did some digging and no only were the kids there not to protest:
But Capt. Stryde Jones from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Dept. went on record and told MSNBC:
“A member of the [Trump] event staff approached a member of our agency and requested that the group be asked to leave.”
Furthermore, the Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress’ went on record and made a statement backing up Captain Jones’ account:
“I spoke to a Trump staffer, whose name I do not have, she told us that they needed to leave. Not only did I talk to a Trump staffer, so did the University police, and we were told over the radio by the Sheriff’s office that Trump staff wanted them out.”
Now a Trump supporter could easily dismiss this out of hand, call the students “thugs” or “potential thugs”, but think about this: Trump and his supporters constantly paint the African-Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement with disdain and contempt and usually counter with a call to support law enforcement and “police lives matter.” So how can they logically reconcile this belief when law enforcement publicly backs up African-Americans over their Trump??
Video from inside Trump rally of students led out from bleachers. Courtesy Kiebbler Carter, 22, who wasn't removed. pic.twitter.com/Ubmjq492DL
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 1, 2016
VSU TRUMP RALLY #BlackLivesMatter And this is the school we attend… pic.twitter.com/sWfX4RksFd
— Mikey (@Mikey_Spiffy) February 29, 2016