It Just Got Worse

By Ed Hoffman

Just when you thought the attacks on Donald Trump couldn’t get worse, they have. It started Friday morning, when Black Lives Matter and other organized protestors at his St. Louis rally trampled on the American flag and carried signs like “F— the police” (you know, the type of thing all “peaceful” protestors do). Fortunately, the St. Louis police didn’t feel it was peaceful and arrested 32 people. That was bad enough.

Then, Friday night came. Thanks to the chaos in St. Louis that morning, 300 Chicago police officers provided crowd control at Trump’s evening rally in an effort to prevent a similar incident. Unfortunately, the incident wasn’t merely similar; it was much, much worse. The hundreds of protestors that flooded the University of Chicago campus were not merely “concerned citizens.” They were busloads of professional activists brought in by radical leftist organizations.

As of today, we know the names of the two groups that organized them. First, there was ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Chicago. This is the Chicago chapter of the ANSWER Coalition, which was formed exactly three days after 9/11 (the group proudly states this on its website). At that time, ANSWER was just your average anti-war campaign launched three days after the largest terror attack in history. Now, it’s involved in some of the left’s favorite causes: protesting capitalism, advocating for open borders, defying the police and supporting anti-Israel initiatives.

But as most of us who pay attention to these things suspected, the notoriously progressive group MoveOn.org was also involved. On its website Saturday, MoveOn acknowledged that it helped print signs for the Chicago rally and recruited members to attend the “student-led protest.” (Right, I’m sure everyone who came out to incite a riot Friday night was a student of the university. Doubtful.) Also on Saturday, MoveOn emailed its members begging them to donate $3 to help them do the same thing at more Trump rallies across the country. So folks, this isn’t going away.

In the end, these groups succeeded as Trump’s campaign canceled the rally 30 minutes before start time. Four people were charged with crimes ranging from aggravated battery to resisting arrest, according to the Chicago PD. Who knows what kind of violence would erupt if the event had gone on? Who knows what kind of violence will happen at the next rally, now that MoveOn is bragging about its future plans?

CNN described the unsafe atmosphere in Chicago as Trump supporters left the venue. “Protesters shouted and cursed at them, and any passersby coming from the direction of the theater, calling them “f—ing racists,” the report said. They interviewed some Trump supporters who were scared for their safety. And yet, all you’re hearing about today is that a 78-year-old man “sucker punched” a guy who was charging up the aisle, cursing and flipping off people at Trump’s North Carolina rally earlier that week, because this is supposed to be an example of the “violence” Donald Trump is personally responsible for. If you’re protesting Trump, you can assault police officers, call Trump supporters horrible names in front of their kids, and shout people down to the point that it disturbs any hope of a peaceful event. But if you’re an elderly man who wants to listen to Trump speak and doesn’t appreciate the event being interrupted, well…you don’t get any support. Trump himself is being called a whole new set of names today for saying he might pay for this man’s legal fees. Just when you thought the vitriol against him couldn’t get worse, it absolutely did.

Ed Hoffman is host of The Main Event on AM590, which airs Saturday 9:30 AM- 10:30 AM and Sunday 4:00 PM- 5:00 PM. Follow him on Twitter @EdHoffman, and like him on Facebook by searching The Main Event 590.