Trump unrepentant in face of criticism of his rhetoric

Supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump cheer their candidate at a campaign rally in Boca Raton, Fla. Supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump cheer their candidate at a campaign rally in Boca Raton, Fla. Photo: Paul Sancya, AP Photo: Paul Sancya, AP Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Trump unrepentant in face of criticism of his rhetoric 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Showing few signs of trying to ease the nation’s tense political atmosphere, Republican front-runner Donald Trump is standing by his antagonistic campaign rhetoric, rejecting any responsibility for violence at his rallies and defending his supporters who have been charged with assaulting protesters.

“We’re not provoking. We want peace. ... We don’t want trouble,” he told a large crowd in Bloomington, the first of two comparatively docile events Sunday as he campaigns ahead of another critical slate of large-state primaries.

Trump’s remarks come after a near-riot Friday night in Chicago when he canceled a scheduled rally amid widespread altercations among his supporters, detractors and authorities.

His three-states-in-one-day schedule, which ended Sunday evening in Florida, also comes less than 48 hours before polls open in a five-state slate that could determine whether he wins the GOP nomination without a contested summer convention.

Against that backdrop, Trump continued to blame protesters, media and even Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders for the increasingly caustic campaign environment that his rivals assailed as “cause for pause.”

Interrupted only sparingly in Illinois, Trump assured his backers their frustration is righteous rage against a corrupt political and economic system. He cast his naysayers as “bad people” that “do harm to the country.”

He’s tried since Chicago to shift the focus to Ohio, where he faces a late push from the popular governor, John Kasich. The outcome will help determine whether Trump can reach the 1,237 delegates required for nomination.

“If we can win Ohio, we’re going to run the table, folks,” Trump said in West Chester, Ohio, his second event Sunday.

At an earlier stop this weekend, Trump aimed directly at Kasich, calling him “a baby” and deliberately mispronouncing the governor’s Czech surname.

Kasich, meanwhile, reversed his months-long practice of avoiding the topic of Trump.

Speaking aboard his campaign bus between stops in Ohio, Kasich brandished his iPad and read a list of Trump quotes compiled by an aide.

The quotes included Trump’s comments that his audiences should “hit back” a little more and a statement that he’d like to punch a protester in the face.

“It’s really cause for pause,” he said, adding the “toxic” tone Trump has created makes it even more important for him to win Ohio.

Later Sunday, Kasich told a crowd in Hanoverton, Ohio, without mentioning Trump: “Do we go to the dark side, with negativity, the gnashing of teeth, the division of people? Or do we go to the hopeful and the light side?”