"Just as I was going up on the stage, I was told by the Secret Service, 'Sir, there's a person or two people in the audience that have tomatoes. They are going to throw them at you, we think. If they do throw them, you have to be prepared.' Now, if you get hit in the face by a tomato, let me tell you, somebody with a strong arm at least, let me tell you, it can be very damaging. Not good. So I was told people were in the audience, two people, with tomatoes and they're going to throw them at me. What I did is I say, 'By the way, if you see anybody with tomatoes, right at the beginning, you gotta stop them. Do whatever you want to do.' I have no objection to what I said, I would say it again. People are there doing harm, you have to go and you have to use equal force. It's not fair, it's a one-way street."
This is Trump, giving supporters permission to use force. We went from "republicans don't call for violence" to "violence is OK if republicans can rationalize it" awful quick.
I don't see the need to tie ourselves in knots. It's the easiest thing in the world to say calling for violence is wrong, that both Biden and Trump are wrong for doing it. I don't know why it's impossible to look at things clear-eyed and objectively and just say Trump's wrong. There will always be an excuse, a justification, a rationalization or his behavior- no matter how outrageous, no matter how indefensible. He knows it. He knows he could shoot a guy on 5th Avenue and get away with it.
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but you're still making my point for me. Trump's supporters won't hold him accountable for anything- and they're mad at anyone who will.