Trump: Protest violence might be ‘just the beginning’

Donald Trump on Monday said recent protests and violence in cities nationwide may be a sign of things to come.

“We are a divided nation,” he said, according to The Associated Press. “I looked two nights ago and you were having trouble in 11 different cities, big, big trouble.

{mosads}“And the press actually plays it down. I mean, you were having big, big trouble in many cities. And I think this may be just the beginning for the summer.”

Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, also said President Obama is downplaying the divisions.

“It’s far worse, and certainly far worse than [Obama] believes it is,” he said.

Trump additionally bemoaned the “ongoing catastrophe of crime” in America’s inner cities, the AP said, and said police officers encounter “harassment” like returning Vietnam War veterans.

Trump earlier Monday said he is “the law and order candidate” who will provide safety and security to voters.

The deaths of two black men in separate encounters with police last week sparked protests in cities nationwide.

At one such protest in Dallas on Thursday, five police officers were killed and seven more were wounded when a sniper opened fire. The shooter, identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, told police during a standoff that he was “upset about the recent police shootings.”