The White House came out in support of (sometimes violent) protesters at Donald Trump rallies, even linking their efforts back to the Founding Fathers:
REPORTER: “Is the President concerned about the protesters — again last night, took the street, protesting Donald Trump? That’s the first question.”
EARNEST: “Well, Laura, I think in general there is a long history of and a long tradition of protest in the American political system. In fact, this country was started by a bunch of protesters, some of whom decided that they were pretty unhappy about taxes and threw some barrels of tea in the Boston Harbor. So there’s a history of protest in this country. What the President believes is that we also have a system of government, and there is an opportunity for voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box. And there should be a debate, and there should be a public debate. And that debate is likely to be filled with some emotion. These are serious issues that are being discussed. So while people surely should take advantage of the history and tradition in this country of engaging in political protest, they need to do so with some respect for the system and for our country and for our government, and to ensure that that protest isn’t a source of violence, it doesn’t incite violence. The protest should not be used to drown out the ability of other people to participate in our political system or to participate in the political debate. But there’s a strong history of protest in this country — that’s a good thing. That’s something we’re proud of as Americans.”
REPORTER: “But in a presidential election, outside the United States, the whole world now is watching with quite astonishment what’s happening when Donald Trump is speaking. You don’t think the President has a responsibility to do something about the potential of violence, which is happening now each time Donald Trump is speaking?”
EARNEST: “Well, I’ll just say, as a general statement, the President has been outspoken on a number of occasions about how our political system, our form of politics in the United States was geared toward resolving conflicts. This is a big, diverse country, and people are going to have different points of view. And we resolve those differences not through violence, not by taking up arms against one another, not by questioning someone else’s patriotism or judging someone based on their religion or their color or who they are, but rather through our system of government, where every citizen has an opportunity to cast a vote and make their voices heard at the ballot box. And that’s how our system of government was designed. And that’s the way that it should work.”