President Donald Trump lashed out at a protester who interrupted his midterm campaign rally in Florida on Friday, repeatedly telling the heckler to “shut up” as tensions flared during his speech.
The incident took place just minutes after Trump began addressing supporters at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. As a man in the audience began shouting, the President paused his remarks, pointed towards the protester and responded sharply.
Trump's midterm campaign rally turns heated
“By the way, there’s never been such excitement for a midterm,” Trump said before turning towards the heckler and shouting, “Shut up! Shut up, dope.”
Deep Dive
What happened when a heckler interrupted Donald Trump's Daytona Beach rally?
What did the protester shout at Trump's Florida rally?
Why did Trump briefly pause his Daytona Beach rally speech?
He continued his outburst, calling the man a “loser” and demanding his removal from the venue. “Shut up, loser. What a loser. Get him out of here,” Trump said.
Video footage from the rally showed security personnel escorting the protester out as sections of the audience responded with boos. The exact remarks made by the demonstrator remain unclear.
Thousands of supporters gathered at the Ocean Center Arena in Daytona Beach for the Friday night rally, held ahead of Tuesday's elections.
{{/usCountry}}Thousands of supporters gathered at the Ocean Center Arena in Daytona Beach for the Friday night rally, held ahead of Tuesday's elections.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Trump's eye trouble interrupts Daytona Beach rally as fresh health questions emerge ahead of midterms: 'He's seriously ill'c
Trump urges people to vote
During his address, Trump urged voters to back Republican candidates in Florida, including gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds and Senator Ashley Moody.
Describing the upcoming polls as particularly significant, Trump told the crowd, "These are the most important midterm elections ever."
He encouraged supporters to turn out in large numbers, stressing the importance of the elections, which will determine which party gains control of Congress.
The confrontation marks another disruption at Trump's campaign events in the run-up to the midterm elections. Several recent rallies have been interrupted by protesters, prompting different reactions from the President.
Trump to hold rallies in Iowa and Kansas after cancellation
Earlier on Friday, Trump pushed back his cancelled campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas to Sunday, just under 24 hours after he called off the originally planned weekend events.
Meanwhile, his rally in Florida is still set to go as planned. The cancellations occurred a day after Trump was questioned about his health and campaign itinerary by a journalist from Reuters. During a conversation, Trump told the reporter that he looked “like hell” and suggested he should “get in shape” after the journalist asked if the President was feeling okay.