Donald Trump faced widespread condemnation for his reaction when a protester was physically assaulted during his speech at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday.
The protester, a woman wearing a shirt that read "Release the Epstein Files," was shoved and struck in the face by an apparent Trump supporter. The incident occurred as Trump watched from the stage. He responded by smiling and accusing the woman, whom he repeatedly called a man, of being a "paid protester."
As the crowd chanted "USA, USA," Trump stated, "They’re all paid. They get paid by the lefties — in order to destroy our country. They’re scum." He offered no evidence for this claim.
"But he’s going back home to mom. He’s going back home to mom," Trump taunted as law enforcement escorted the protester away. He then mocked her appearance, saying, "Look at him, look at him, terrible. Don’t we love law enforcement? Oh, he’s got to go on a diet. He’s a fat guy." He continued, "Gotta go on a diet fast. We all do."
Video footage appeared to show the man who struck the protester was allowed to remain in the venue and exchanged high-fives with other attendees, according to Fox News.
With the crowd cheering, Trump added, "You know, they are paid protesters; that’s a very low-class protester. What he doesn’t know is that his mother and father voted for me. They’re angry as hell."
Trump then mimicked the parents saying, "That’s our boy, what’s he doing there?" drawing more cheers before predicting, "He’s gonna get home and he’s gonna get smacked." He then returned to his speech.
This is not the first time Trump has drawn criticism 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, he told supporters to "knock the crap out of" anyone preparing to throw a tomato. At another rally, as a protester was being removed, Trump stated, "I’d like to punch him in the face."