It is a sad indictment on the decline of discourse in this country when a rally in support of the president of the United States devolves into a brawl. But that is what happened in Huntington Beach, California, over the weekend when folks rallying in support of President Trump clashed with anti-Trump protesters. It seems doubtful this is what President Trump had in mind when he promised to be a “president for all Americans” on election night.

“We were expecting it to be more peaceful,” Jordan Hoiberg, a member of the Socialist Party USA, one of the protest organizers, told The Orange County Register. “We were not about to start something when we are 10 people and they are a thousand. That would be suicidal.”

But it seems hard to believe that the protesters thought attempting to physically block the march with a “human wall” wouldn’t lead to a confrontation. Byron Lopez, another protest organizer, told the Register before the event, “We aren’t going to start fights, but we are going to try to stop them from completing their march.”

So let’s cast off any claims that anti-Trump protesters weren’t there for a confrontation. But it should also be noted that there were at least a few Trump supporters that arrived at the event ready to fight as well.

If protesters arriving with pepper spray was an indication of their willingness to fight, then so too can it be said that people don’t typically wear brass knuckles to a peaceful march, as Register photographers captured at least one man sporting. Furthermore, some were using flag poles as weapons, with one individual thrusting a flag pole with a spear-like finial at protesters, and another man continuing to pummel a protestor after he fell to the ground. Similarly, three journalists, including an intern, were attacked.

It seems clear that protesters arrived looking for a fight, and some on the other side, sadly, obliged them. While the vast majority of the rally was peaceful, and the majority of those at the rally were equally peaceful, the 30-minute scuffle is likely all that will be remembered.

When Trump took office, he promised to be a “uniter.” If what occurred in Huntington Beach is any indication, he, and the rest of us, have a ways to go.

(The Orange County Register)