Election 2016

Trump Says There Will Be Riots if He’s Denied the Nomination

Written by SK Ashby

Likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump spoke to CNN and said his supporters may riot at the GOP convention if the nomination is stolen from him.

"I think we’ll win before getting to the convention," Trump said on CNN's "New Day." "But I can tell you, if we didn’t, and if we’re 20 votes short or if we’re 100 short, and we’re at 1100 and somebody else is at 500 or 400 — because we’re way ahead of everybody — I don't think you can say that we don't get it automatically. I think you'd have riots. I think you'd have riots. I'm representing a tremendous — many, many millions of people."

I also believe denying Trump the nomination would spark a riot and I'm sure he's counting on that threat of violence to convince the party establishment not to oppose him. Trump has already used the threat of violence against his opponents both within and outside the party.

In any event, the city of Cleveland is taking the threat seriously. The city has ordered 2,000 sets of riot gear ahead of the GOP convention in anticipation.

I surmise the Republican convention will be an epic disaster even if there isn't a riot. There was a time -- a more innocent time -- when we thought Clint Eastwood's conversation with an empty chair was embarrassing. There's no telling what kind of absurd spectacles this year's convention will entail.