Donald Trump’s rally in Texas got off to a violent start as a protester was assaulted by a member of the crowd as he left to jeers.
The president’s address in San Antonio was repeatedly interrupted by several protesters, with one of the first becoming the target of a violent attack by a Trump supporter.
C-SPAN cameras captured the moment the protester walked through a crowd after successfully disrupting the president’s speech. As he exited, however, an elderly man wearing a red MAGA hat grabbed him by the shirt from behind, pulled his hair, and pulled him toward the ground.
Several other Trump supporters stepped in to pull the assailant away from the protester, allowing him to escape.
Trump paused his speech amid the scuffle, then returned to the podium to praise the atmosphere at his rally.
“Let me ask you something: is there anything like a Trump rally?” Trump said, his first words after the attack. “I don’t think so.”
He then mocked the protester, saying, “He’s going back home to mom right now.”
The incident was followed by at least a dozen additional interruptions from protesters, each of which briefly paused the 80-year-old’s speech.
Trump went on to shame the protesters, bashing one’s weight while saying the rest were “really bad-looking people.”
“I’m telling you they pay them for this,” Trump said, just before the crowd erupted into a “USA” chant.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump trekked to Texas Wednesday to promote his endorsed Texas Senate candidate, Ken Paxton, who has been slipping in recent polls. The president frequently attacked his opponent, James Talarico, comparing him to the MAD magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman and dubbing him “Tala-freako.”
Trump’s sinking approval rating and poor economic conditions as a result of his prolonged war with Iran are expected to welcome in a blue wave in next month’s midterms.
The president’s multiple trips across the country this week are part of a last-minute effort to boost GOP candidates in key races ahead of Election Day, which will decide the fate of the House and Senate majorities for the second half of MAGA 2.0.
