Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was in Nevada last week making presidential campaign stops. While there, he spoke on a number of issues including impeachment, Medicare for All, and funding for education.

The Hill reports on one particular stop he made in which he brought up a question he says a supporter asked him about punching President Trump:

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) jokingly pushed back on one supporter who said he wanted the presidential candidate to “punch” President Trump in the face.

While speaking to members of the West Las Vegas church on Saturday morning, Booker also shared a story in which he encouraged one of his own supporters against violence.

“I go to these meetings sometimes – I talk a lot about this one, the time where a guy comes up to me in the beginning before I spoke and he says to me, ‘I want you to punch Donald Trump in the face.’ And I looked at him and I go, ‘sir, that’s a felony,’” Booker said laughingly in audio of his remarks provided to The Hill, before adding, “and black guys like us we don’t get away with that. We don’t get away with that.”

[…]

“But I actually encourage him, I go, ‘Sir, listen to me, and then come up to me afterwards if you still think Donald Trump should be punched in the face.’ And I spent my time talking about the issues like I have here,” he said.

.@CoryBooker, speaking at a black church in Las Vegas, mentions a man who recently asked him to “punch Donald Trump in the face.”

Booker’s response: “Sir, that’s a felony. And black men don’t get away with felonies.”

— Kevin Robillard (@Robillard) April 20, 2019

I searched for an audio or video clip of his remarks but couldn’t find it anywhere, so all I have to go off is what was reported on the website.

His answer is bizarre to me – for a few reasons.

1. If a person came up to you and asked “Would you punch so and so for me?”, what would your answer be? My first answer would be to say “Of course not, because punching people is wrong. You don’t go around hurting people.” The fact that it’s an actual crime would be secondary. It’d be the argument you would use if you couldn’t convince the person otherwise that it was wrong to do.

I remember my mom talking to me as a child and teenager about what was right and wrong. Never once did she tell me that my desire to hit someone who hurt me or who was bullying me was “a crime.” It was implied in the “wrong” part. And actually, I was more afraid of what she would do to me if I ever raised my hand against a classmate! Southern moms and all.

2. Him saying that “black buys don’t get away with felonies.” Again, it’s just bizarre in the context of the question as it was presented. Firstly, no one should get away with a violent felony. Secondly, you don’t not punch people just because you can’t get away with it. You don’t punch them because it is wrong.

3. Why was this said “jokingly” and “laughingly”? Considering all the charges of incitement to violence Democrats routinely level at Republicans, there’s really nothing humorous about a presidential candidate “jokingly” and “laughingly” talking about punching anyone.

I’m not even sure if presenting his comments contextually in an audio or video format would even help.

What do you think?

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–