There are consequences when a leader tells followers to hit a person who is about to throw a tomato. Most people will hold off until something like that actually happens, but a few will only hear that it’s okay to fight, whether or not the other person throws a tomato or a punch.
Cruz is correct about the environment being up to the leader in the room; he’s also correct that the protesters are responsible for their actions. They are there to provoke violence for the sake of the cameras, and all it takes is to insult someone who’s hyped up from the rally and maybe some beers before he got there.
OMG.
Have some more kool aide. You’re a democrat. Embrace it.
At a previous rally a person was being ejected by security. That person began punching bystanders. This is when Trump made his remark.
Cruz devoted one sentence to blaming the rioters in STL and CHI, and two paragraphs to blaming Trump for “creating an environment”. The rioters were not spontaneous, they arrived with a plan to prevent the Trump rally from occurring. They succeeded. They succeeded via intimidation and violence. THEY created the environment. THEY ALONE bear the blame.
Cruz saw an opportunity to smear his opponent and lost sight of reality.