Sarah Palin: Thugs To Blame For Donald Trump Rally Ruckuses

PLANT CITY, FL — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin knows who’s responsible for the violent outbursts that have gone hand-in-hand with several of Donald Trump’s campaign stops as of late: thugs.

During her weekend whirlwind tour of Florida on behalf of Trump’s Republican presidential campaign, the former vice presidential candidate shared her opinions on the violence that has erupted at some Trump events. Her comments came during a Sunday stop at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City.

Her take on what's prompting the outbursts?

“The thugs who are disrupting his rallies are doing nothing but harm to anyone’s right to assemble peacefully,” Palin was quoted by the Daily Beast as saying. “[The people] who are disrupting … they’re not protesters, they’re much more violent than that.”

As for Trump, Palin said he's been acting in a responsible manner by trying to urge supporters to show restraint, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

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Those disruptions that sparked the comments have included an alleged assault on a journalist at an event in Jupiter, a “sucker-punch” incident during which a protester was struck and unrest that erupted after Trump canceled his Chicago rally.

Palin left her home state of Alaska on Saturday to campaign for Trump in the Sunshine State ahead of Tuesday’s Presidential Preference Primaries. She also made a stop at the Arcadia All-Florida Rodeo before making a largely unplanned pit stop at Plant City’s festival.

While festival organizers were given little notice of Palin’s visit, according to the Daily Beast, she did talk up the event on her Facebook page.

“Never had such luscious strawberries in my life,” she wrote. “Thank you, legendary Plant City Strawberry Festival. The visit was a blast.”

Palin also had plans to attend a rally in The Villages on Monday, but cut that stop out of her schedule. The cancellation occurred after Palin’s husband, Todd, was injured in a snowmobile accident, several media outlets have reported.

Florida voters head to the polls for the Presidential Preference Primaries on Tuesday. Trump continued to lead the Republican pack in the latest polls while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the lead on the Democratic side.

Image via Gage Skidmore, Flicker, used under Creative Commons