Johnson: Disturbances At Trump Rallies ‘Depressing’

Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he’s unhappy about the sometimes-violent confrontations at Donald Trump’s political rallies.

Trump has downplayed and even denied the reported violence, but then last week, he had to cancel a rally in Chicago due to disturbances from protesters.

Video footage shows pushing and shoving at some recent events, and at least one Trump critic being punched.

“In all honesty, it’s not a good sign,” said Johnson, admitting that the battles have left him depressed about the political process.

Still, the senator said, there’s plenty of blame to go around on both sides of the aisle.

“Listen, I have concern across the board. Now, I have said this repeatedly: We have demagogues on all sides of the political spectrum,” he said. “It’s not helpful. It’s destructive. It’s harmful. So I don’t like demagoguery, whether it comes from left or comes from the right.”

Johnson said political disputes should be settled at the ballot box “with honest discussion (and) free speech.”

“Let people’s voices be heard,” he said. “People can protest, but please, let the discussion, let the debate continue, and in the end, we’ll vote in November and we’ll decide the direction of our country.”

Despite the confrontations, the Johnson said he remains committed to supporting whoever becomes the GOP presidential candidate in November, even if it’s Trump.

“We’ll see how this process plays out,” Johnson said.

Tuesday will likely prove to be a decisive chapter in that process with primary voters heading to the polls in delegate-rich states including Ohio and Florida.