Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Speaking Thursday afternoon at a rally in Pittsburgh, Donald Trump suggested that drugs play a large role in the protests seen in response to police shootings. Continuing his pitch as the “law and order” candidate, the Republican nominee said of this week’s violent protests in Charlotte: “If you’re not aware, drugs are a very, very big factor in what you’re watching on television at night.” He added that “Crime and violence is an attack on the poor and will never be accepted in a Trump administration—never, ever. Our job is not to make life more comfortable for the violent disrupter, but to make life more comfortable for the African-American parent trying to raise their kids in peace.” Suggesting the protesters were on drugs is the latest in a string of comments that run counter to Trump’s attempt to court black voters. On Wednesday, the real-estate mogul said he’d like to see the racial-profiling policing method of “stop-and-frisk” implemented nationwide.