President Donald Trump’s rally in San Antonio for Senate candidate Ken Paxton and other Republicans was interrupted multiple times within minutes of him taking the stage Wednesday, as protesters shouted from the floor of the Freeman Coliseum.
One took a video of himself as he walked toward the exit, only to be rushed from behind by an elderly man in a red Make America Great Again hat, who appeared to yank the protester’s shirt and hair before other attendees pulled him away.
“These are paid protesters. They’re paid by enemies of our nation,” Trump said after another protester interruption minutes later.
“If there are any more paid protesters, please raise your hand and get the hell out of here,” the president added.
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One protester exited while being insulted by Trump about his weight. Two more were removed while the crowd chanted, “U-S-A!” Several protesters, including one wearing the Spanish National Team’s World Cup kit who yelled in the direction of the stage, were marched out by police.
About a dozen people disrupted the rally before leaving voluntarily or being forcibly removed from the arena during Trump’s speech, according to the reporters traveling with the president.
The disruptions caused Trump to pause several times as the crowd yelled to drown out the protesters’ chants. As the interruptions continued, Trump temporarily turned from mocking Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to making fun of the protesters trying to steal the spotlight — starting with a “mom” joke.
“He’s going back home to mom,” Trump said as the first protester, a young man, walked away from the stage. “But what he doesn’t know is his mom voted for Trump.”
Shortly after, Trump returned to Talarico, and to one of his favorite attacks on the Democrat — calling him a vegan, and reducing the Texas Senate race to a voter’s preference for a prime cut of steak or a plate of tofu.
“He’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons, and he’s throwing up all over the place,” Trump said. The president claimed Talarico would swallow a few ribs and then spit them out behind a tent. He compared the alleged diet to Paxton’s.
“I have a feeling Ken likes meat,” Trump said of the Texas attorney general.
Talarico has repeatedly said he isn’t a vegan, and PolitiFact rated Paxton’s claim about Talarico as false in May when he first levied it. Talarico’s campaign responded at the time with a photograph of the Democratic nominee eating barbecue in a Texas flag shirt.
Trump also announced that he will give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Major League pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards but was left out of the Hall of Fame after allegations of steroid use.
The president called the medal a “big step up” from being enshrined among the legends of America’s pastime.
The rally was Trump’s third Texas stop in under a month and part of a monthlong campaign tour ahead of Election Day. His appearance alongside Paxton followed a series of leaks from the attorney general’s private conversations. On Wednesday, Axios reported that Paxton blamed his campaign troubles on issues that he couldn’t control, namely the cost of fuel and the Iran war.
Paxton also blamed the GOP midterm convention for his sinking poll numbers. A New York Times and Siena University poll released Oct. 4 found Talarico ahead 51% to 45%. In the survey, voters also said they believe Talarico would do a better job handling many issues on which the race has centered: cost of living, health care and tariffs.
On Wednesday, Trump was asked in the Oval Office if he regretted endorsing Paxton because of the leaked comments. Trump defended Paxton, saying that he would “be a great senator.”
“And no, I would have no regrets at all,” the president added.
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