Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Political Arson, Takes Shot At Trump

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Hillary Clinton on Trump Rallies: ‘That’s Political Arson’ - The morning after Donald J. Trump canceled his rally in Chicago amid unruly protests, Hillary Clinton delivered her most extensive remarks to date denouncing the leading Republican candidate and the clashes that have erupted at his campaigns, accusing Mr. Trump of committing “political arson.”

“The ugly, divisive rhetoric we are hearing from Donald Trump and the encouragement of violence and aggression is wrong, and it’s dangerous,” Mrs. Clinton told supporters Saturday morning at the O’Fallon Park recreation complex here. “If you play with matches, you’re going to start a fire you can’t control. That’s not leadership. That’s political arson.”

“The test of leadership and citizenship is the opposite,” Mrs. Clinton said. “If you see bigotry, oppose it. If you see violence, condemn it. And if you see a bully, stand up to him.”

The comments came days after a Democratic debate in Miami in which neither Mrs. Clinton nor her primary opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, answered directly a question about whether they thought Mr. Trump was a racist.

On Saturday, after Mr. Trump abruptly canceled an event at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion when angry clashes broke out between protesters and supporters, Mrs. Clinton seemed more comfortable denouncing the former real estate developer in stark terms. The Chicago rally came after a protester had been assaulted by a Trump supporter who said, “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him.”

On Twitter on Saturday, Mr. Trump said, “The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First Amendment rights in Chicago, have totally energized America!”

Mrs. Clinton acknowledged that job losses, wage stagnation and clashes with the police had led to a genuine anger in the electorate that drew supporters to Mr. Trump’s populist message and enraged his opponents.

“Now, look,” she said, “I know it’s no secret there are people angry on the left, on the right, and for some very good reasons. Many people have gotten a raw deal for too long. Our economy and our politics have failed to deliver results the way they should.”

“But I believe with all my heart the only way to fix what’s broken is to stand together against the forces of division and discrimination that are trying to divide America between us and them,” she said, “and that means, that means, finding common ground.”

After the stop in St. Louis, she headed to the St. Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program to discuss job creation. There, she reiterated her criticism of Mr. Trump, saying he had “encouraged” the violence that has taken place at his political events.