President Donald Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday night that he does not want his supporters confronting or going near the far-left extremists that are causing mayhem in Democratic-controlled cities across the U.S.
“But do you want your supporters to confront the left-wing protesters or do you want to leave it to law enforcement?” Ingraham asked.
“No. No. No,” Trump responded. “I want to leave it to law enforcement.”
When asked again if he wanted his supporters showing up to confront the far-left extremists, Trump responded, “No, I don’t.”
WATCH:
TRANSCRIPT:
FOX NEWS HOST LAURA INGRAHAM: Your response to the vice president, sir?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Look, he’s a weak person. He’s been weak all his life, but now he’s really weak. He shouldn’t be running for president. He should not be there.
INGRAHAM: But do you want your supporters to confront the —
TRUMP: No.
INGRAHAM: — left wing protesters —
TRUMP: No.
INGRAHAM: — or do you want to leave it to law enforcement —
TRUMP: No, I don’t want them — I want to leave it to law enforcement.
But my supporters are wonderful, hard working, tremendous people, and they turn on their television set and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha before I got involved and stopped it, or they look at Chicago where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died, or they look at New York where violence is up by like, what, 150% — it’s up by a number that nobody — and people are leaving — they’re looking at all of this, and they can’t believe it. They can’t believe it.
Whether it’s —
INGRAHAM: But you don’t want them —
TRUMP: — my supporter or not —
INGRAHAM: But you don’t want them showing up —
TRUMP: No, I don’t.
INGRAHAM: — to try to —
TRUMP: Well, they’re — it’s a peaceful protest. I mean —
INGRAHAM: Right.
TRUMP: — they were protesting. They weren’t — you know, it’s amazing. They want to protest, and they get criticized.
The other people run through the streets, burn down storefronts, hurt people, beat people, and kill people, kick people in the face — that would have happened to Rand Paul, by the way, and his wife, except that you had two and then ultimately four very good policemen who took a big beating. They took a big beating. And they really saved Rand Paul.
In fact, we’re going to bring them into the White House and give them some kind of an accommodation, because they really — they really — what they did was very brave, actually. I mean, can you imagine them saying policemen were brave because they were escorting? But they were escorting a U.S. senator and his wife. And as Rand said, he would have been killed if they weren’t there.
It’s a terrible —
(CROSSTALK)
INGRAHAM: Isn’t it true also, Mr. President, that Democrats have been, in their own way, inciting this violence —
TRUMP: Oh, sure they have —