Attendees hit protester at Trump's Ohio rally as Trump calls her paid and fat
At Trump's campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday, 12 October, attendees pulled at and struck a woman protester before police escorted her out. Trump mocked her weight from the podium and called her a paid protester.
A rally interrupted in Youngstown
On Monday, 12 October, Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, in support of Republican senator Jon Husted ahead of the 3 November midterms. While Trump was talking about Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, cameras cut to a commotion in the crowd, where a protester who appeared to be a woman was standing up and showing a t-shirt reading 'Release the Epstein Files'. Several attendees began pulling at her clothing, and one man appeared to shove her backwards. According to the Independent's account of the footage, another attendee seemed to strike her in the face and pull her hair while the crowd chanted 'USA, USA, USA'. Police eventually intervened and escorted her out of the hall while Trump commented on the situation from the podium.
Trump's response from the podium
Trump described the protester as a paid agitator and mocked her weight as the cameras focused on her. He said the following about the protester.
They're all paid. They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country. They're scum.
He added that she was going back home to her mother, told her she needed to go on a diet quickly and called her a fat guy. Trump also said that everyone needs to diet, adding 'We all do'. When a TMZ reporter asked why she had chosen to protest, the woman gave a profane answer that was critical of Trump. Trump's remarks came while the Justice Department and Trump have faced months of pressure over the release of more documents from the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in custody.
Online reaction and calls for charges
Clips of the incident spread quickly on social media, garnering millions of views according to the Independent. Many commenters called for the attendees who struck her to be arrested, and some urged her to press charges or file a civil lawsuit for assault and battery. Other commenters accused her of being a paid agitator and mocked her weight. Political commentator Keith Edwards questioned why she was escorted out by police after being assaulted by a group of men. One X user said a fat joke coming from Trump was rich, and asked why the person who assaulted her had not been arrested.
Earlier Texas incident and midterm stakes
The Youngstown incident came less than one week after a rally in San Antonio, Texas, on 7 October. There, a person near the stage, apparently a protester, began yelling while Trump was addressing the crowd, and a man grabbed that person's hair and yanked them to the ground. The midterms on 3 November will renew one third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives, both currently under Republican control. 20 minutos reports that Republicans risk losing their slim majority in both chambers. Another protester wearing a Spanish national football team shirt was removed from the San Antonio event the same week.
- Trump rally in San Antonio, Texas, where a man grabbed a protester's hair and yanked them to the ground
- Youngstown, Ohio rally where attendees struck a woman protester before police escorted her out
- Midterm elections renew one third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives
