NO CLOWNING AROUND
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies take a protester into custody Wednesday outside the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held a rally.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A day after violent protesters outside a Donald Trump rally threw burning items at police and toppled barricades, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee railed against “Crooked Hillary” Clinton and leaders in his own party who haven’t yet endorsed him in a boisterous but less heated rally Wednesday.
Outside, demonstrators quietly held up signs reading “Love and Peace” and “Migration is beautiful” during the rally, but the modest crowd grew rowdier when Trump supporters came outside. The two sides shouted at each other as dozens of police, some on horseback, moved in to prevent a renewal of the violence that included rockthrowing and burning Tshirts on Tuesday night in New Mexico.
Five people were arrested as a line of police slowly moved scattered protesters along a nearby street and some demonstrators threw objects at the officers.
Inside, Mr. Trump’s rally was interrupted several times by protesters who were escorted out of the Anaheim Convention Center, which was packed with thousands of Trump supporters.
“Get ’em out!” he shouted at one point. “Out! Out! Out!” But Mr. Trump urged his supporters and security to handle his interrupters gently. “Don’t hurt ‘em,” he told them. “I say that for the television cameras. Do not hurt him even though he’s a bad person.”
Mr. Trump used his event Wednesday to hammer Ms. Clinton over a report by the State Department inspector general that faulted her for her use of private email for official business when she was secretary of state.
And Mr. Trump appeared to be making a concerted effort Wednesday to tout his support with women. He met with a group of female business leaders ahead of the rally and invited several onstage. “I’m telling you, women do like me,” he said.
Mr. Trump’s western swing comes as he works to unify a Republican Party that often remains skeptical of his candidacy. House Speaker Paul Ryan is still holding out on endorsing Mr. Trump.
Later in the day, Mr. Ryan’s staff disclosed that Mr. Ryan planned to speak with Mr. Trump on Wednesday evening by phone but insisted it was not about endorsing.
Before the Anaheim rally, police warned protesters that violence would not be tolerated.
In one of the presidential campaign year’s more unruly spectacles, anti-Trump protesters in New Mexico had thrown burning Tshirts and other items at police officers, injuring several, and had toppled trash cans and barricades.
Police responded by firing pepper spray and smoke grenades into the crowd outside the Albuquerque Convention Center.
A day after the rioting, Albuquerque officials blamed the downtown melee on an unruly group intent on creating chaos.