Donald Trump walks back suggestion of paying legal fees for man accused of punching protester
"I didn't say that. I haven't looked at it yet. And nobody's asked me to pay for fees," Trump said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
A man was filmed sucker punching a demonstrator at a Trump rally last week in North Carolina. John McGraw, 78, is reportedly facing assault charges in the attack.
On Sunday's "Meet the Press," Trump said he "actually instructed my people to look into" paying McGraw's legal bills. Trump also said he wanted to see the "full tape" and noted that the protester was "very loud, very disruptive."
But during his Tuesday "Good Morning America" interview Trump appeared to be far less inclined to get involved.
"Somebody asked me the question. And I hadn't even seen it. So I never said I was going to pay for fees," he recalled.
"You said you were 'looking into it,'" host George Stephanopoulos pressed. "And I'm just saying, if you're open to that, wouldn't by paying those fees, wouldn't that be rewarding violence?"
Trump replied:
Well, maybe so. And maybe that's why I wouldn't do it. I don't condone violence at all. I looked and I watched and I'm going to make a decision, but I certainly don't condone violence. And maybe you're right. And maybe that's why I wouldn't do it.
Trump has been harshly criticized in recent days for his violent campaign-trail rhetoric. Trump has voiced his desire to punch protesters in the face, pined for the old days in which hecklers would be roughed up, and at one event said he would pay for the legal fees of people if they "knock the crap out" of protesters throwing tomatoes.