President Donald Trump called out two protesters interrupting a rally Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday, as he barnstorms the country for Republican candidates in the closing weeks of the November midterm elections.
The first protester at the raucous gathering in the Buckeye state wore a “release the Epstein files” shirt and was subdued by rallygoers as law enforcement made their way to remove the individual.
“Paid protests… He’s a paid protester. They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country, they’re scum. He’s going back home to mom. Look at him… terrible.”
Trump then interrupted himself when he saw the protester being removed, exclaiming, “He’s a fat guy. He’s got to go on a diet fast. That’s a very low class protester. What he doesn’t know is his mother and father voted for me,” he quipped as the thousands in attendance chanted, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”
A protester is removed from the venue while U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on October 12, 2026. (Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty)
Soon after another protester made a spectacle before being shown the exit.
The individual removed waved an apparent Palestinian flag, prompting the president to deadpan about the ideology behind support for terror sympathizers.
“Was that the Palestinian flag? The one I like the best… I shouldn’t say this, should I? The one I like the best is Gays for Palestine. You know what they do? They throw you off the top of a building! Gays for Palestine! They bring you to the top of the tallest building they have, which isn’t too tall by the way and push you off the top. I see all the time, Gays for Palestine. How about women for Palestine? They treat women almost as badly,” Trump remarked.
The presence of protesters at Republican events has picked up this midterm as far-left activists feel emboldened by the success of DSA candidates.
At the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas, a protester attempted to interrupt the Vice President JD Vance’s speech, and earlier this month, 18 protesters were removed from President Trump’s San Antonio, Texas, rally.
Follow Matt Mercer on X: @mattmercer.
