Over the past few weeks, violence has become commonplace at the rallies of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The altercations in question stem from those who support Trump and protesters who oppose him. Protesters have been harassed, ostracized and even beaten. One such incident occurred in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

78-year-old John McGraw sucker punched 26-year-old Rakeem Jones as he was being escorted out of a Trump rally on March 9. McGraw was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery.

Usually this would be the end of such an incident, but in a shocking development, Trump himself admitted to Meet the Press host Chuck Todd that he is looking into paying McGraw's legal fees from the altercation.

The Republican frontrunner even went as far as defending Mr. McGraw’s actions, stating, “He was 78 years old. He obviously loves his country and maybe he doesn't like seeing what's happening in his country.”

Trump would later go on to say that he does not condone violence in any form. The incident —which was caught on tape — has been one incident in a string of violent situations which have surrounded the Trump campaign.

All five of the remaining presidential candidates in both parties have condemned Mr. Trump for the poisonous atmosphere which continues to follow his candidacy.

Mr. McGraw will appear in court again on April 6. It remains to be seen if Trump will indeed pay McGraw's legal fees. However one thing is certain: if the level of discourse remains this toxic, incidents such as this and the events that occurred Friday night in Chicago will likely be just the beginning of many courses in the feast that is the 2016 presidential campaign.

(Photo from top: CBS, Huffington Post)