A woman wearing a “Release the Epstein Files” shirt was punched in the face by a Trump supporter during a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday while the crowd chanted “USA USA USA!” The attack transpired as Donald J. Trump was speaking, but the president's response was hardly a call for calm.
Instead, Trump took jabs at the protester's appearance, repeatedly referring to her as a “fat guy” and telling her she needed to go on a diet. He also claimed, without producing evidence, that protesters were being paid by the political left to disrupt his events.
"He's a paid protester," Trump said of the woman. "They’re all paid. They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country. They’re scum. But he’s going back home to Mom. He’s going back home to Mom. Look at him. Look at him. Terrible. Don’t we love law enforcement? Oh, he’s gotta go on a diet! He’s a fat guy. Wow. Wow. Gotta go on a diet fast. We all do."
"No, they’re paid protesters," Trump added. "That’s a very low-class protester."
The crowd could be heard chanting “USA” as the disorder erupted. Security and police intervened, but the woman was escorted out of the venue while the man who struck her appeared to remain behind.
The man who assaulted her also grabbed the woman by the hair and attempted to slam her face toward the ground.
According to Fox News, "Video showed the man who struck her remaining in the arena and exchanging high-fives with other attendees."
The incident is particularly striking given the protester's message: a demand for the release of the Epstein files, an issue that continues to draw scrutiny over the government's handling of the documents.
So, at a rally where a woman was physically attacked, Trump chose to ridicule her weight rather than simply condemn the violence. And Trump is obese, yet he mocked her weight.
As much as Trump peddles hate, it's his supporters who are more repulsive, as they enable him, and in this case, they high-fived a man who viciously assaulted a woman. That man should be arrested. Also, the man who punched the woman.
