Trump tells Cedar Rapids rally crowd to knock the crap out of protesters

At a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on February 1, 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump tells his supporters: "If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell — I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise." In a similar moment at a Warren, Michigan rally, Trump says: "Yeah get him out, try not to hurt him. If you do I'll defend you in court, don't worry about it." Trump explicitly directs the crowd to physically assault protesters and offers to personally fund their legal defense. These statements are the first in a pattern of Trump encouraging physical violence at campaign rallies. At a Las Vegas rally in February 2016, Trump says of a protester: "I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell ya." At a St. Louis rally in March 2016, Trump says: "Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do, I'll defend you in court." Several protesters are physically attacked by Trump supporters at rallies throughout 2016. A federal lawsuit eventually documents that Trump's rally rhetoric directly caused physical assaults against protesters.