Donald Trump was roundly condemned for his response to the physical assault of a protester by a crowd member during his speech at a midterm campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday.
The protester, a woman wearing a shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Release the Epstein Files,” was shoved and punched in the face by an apparent Trump supporter, who also tried to force her to the ground, as the president watched the incident unfold from the stage.
Trump just smiled and accused the woman, whom he repeatedly referred to as a man, of being a “paid protester.”
As the crowd chanted “USA, USA,” Trump said: “He’s a paid protester. They’re all paid. They’re paid by leftists – to destroy our country. They’re trash.”
Trump has presented no evidence to support his claims.
“But he’s going home to mom. He’s going home to mom,” the president mocked, while the police escorted the demonstrator.
Trump then turned around to mock his appearance.
“Look at him, look at him, it’s terrible. Don’t we love law enforcement? Oh, he needs to go on a diet. He’s a big guy,” he continued, later adding: “You need to go on a diet quickly. We all do it.”
The video appears to show that the man who punched the protester was allowed to stay inside the venue and greet other members of the audience, Fox News reported.
As the crowd clapped and chanted “USA” again, Trump continued: “You know, these are paid protesters; he’s a very low class protester. What he doesn’t know is that his mom and dad voted for me. They’re angry as hell.”
“It’s our boy, what is he doing here?” Trump imitated the parents saying, drawing more cheers from the crowd, before predicting: “He’s going to come home and he’s going to get slapped.” »
Trump then returned to his speech.
This is not the first time Trump has been criticized for his response to protesters at his rallies.
In 2015, he suggested that a Black Lives Matter protester who was shoved and punched “should have been roughed up.”
The following year, the then-presidential candidate asked his supporters to “knock down” anyone they saw getting ready to throw a tomato.
At another rally, as a protester was being removed, Trump said, “I’d like to punch him in the face.” »
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