Republicanfrontrunner Donald Trump appeared onThe OReilly Factor Wednesday night to discuss the increasing frequency of protesters at his rallies and a possible shift in rhetoric as the mogul begins to think toward the general election.
Host Bill OReilly opened the interview by asking Trump if he felt a need to tone down [his] confrontational style and be more statesmanlike as it looks more likely thathe will become the Republican nominee.
I always like to be a gentleman, Trump said. [The race] started off with 17 people all smart, all tough, all cunning and its now down to three and were getting down to the wire and Im leading by a substantial margin.
Trumps rallies in recent weeks have been punctuated by clashes between protesters and his supporters, withthe candidate canceling a rally in Chicago last week over safety concerns. The candidate has been criticized for seemingly provoking and inflaming the crowd with calls to inflict violence on anyone who appears to be protesting.
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Anybody who tells you that there is no connection between the behavior of the mob at these events and the behavior of the man at the podium leading the mob at these events is not actually watching hes been saying from the podium, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said last week. What he has been saying, and the way he has been egging it on, it has been escalating.
OReilly addressed Trumps rhetoric in the interview, asking if the candidate needed to show more restraint when provoked. I think so and I think Ive been restrained. Weve had very little problems, Trump said. We have some very big events scheduled. When people go in there and they interrupt and they stand up and in many cases they start things like raising their fists and maybe hitting people, Im not going to want to stand for that and the people in the room wont stand for that. But the answer is yes, I would absolutely be able to stand above it.
Last week, 78-year-old John McGraw was charged with assault and disorderly conductafter sucker-punching 26-year-old protestor Rakeem Jones at a Trump rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We dont know who he is, but we know hes not acting like an American, McGraw said on video after the incident. The next time we see him, we might have to kill him. Trump had originally said he wouldpay the legal fees for McGraw following his arrest, but later retracted the offer.
Its a tightrope you have to walk, but let your security do it, OReilly told the candidate Wednesday night. Be the peacemaker.
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