Donald Trump, 80, was forced to pause his speech while a protester yelled “rapist” at him during a campaign rally in Ohio.
As the protester screamed that Trump was a liar and a rapist, the president stood at the podium at the Vandalia event with an awkward grin.
The outburst was then drowned out by MAGA loyalists booing the heckler. As security escorted the protester out, the crowd cheered.
Video of the incident was posted on X by media strategist Vince D. Monroy, who later shared the same sequence of events, but from the protester’s perspective. The second clip captured the protester’s words more clearly.
“Liar, you’re a liar. Why don’t you tell people the truth. You rapist, Rapist! You raped E. Jean Carroll. Rapist! Release the files,” he yelled.
A security guard can then be heard saying, “let’s get him out of here.”
The Carroll verdicts are a sore spot for Trump, whose appeal of the $5 million sexual abuse and defamation verdict was rejected by the Supreme Court. He was recently forced to fork over $5.6 million in damages from the 2023 lawsuit, in which a jury found him civilly liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
The jurors did not find there was enough evidence that he had raped her under the strict New York legal definition at the time of the assault. The law was changed in 2024, with a much broader definition now in place.
The judge in the case also later said the verdict showed Carroll proved Trump “raped” her as the term is commonly understood.
Carroll also won her initial suit against Trump for defamation, with that jury awarding her $83.3 million in total damages on top of the $5.8 million.
The humiliating moment for the president was one of many, with protesters heckling him throughout the speech.
The interruptions agitated Trump and at another point, he lashed out at the protesters.
“Just get out and vote. If you do that we’re gonna win and we’re gonna win big. And we’re gonna shove it up their a--,” he said, apparently gesturing to people in the crowd.
The nasty turn of phrase elicited big cheers from the MAGA crowd.
Trump is on a campaign blitz as he seeks to staunch the bleeding of a wounded Republican Party facing the prospect of losing its majorities in the House and Senate in November.
Polls point to the possibility of a blue wave, with contests such as Ohio’s Senate race shaping up as must-wins for Republicans seeking to retain control of the chamber.
The president is dragging the ticket down with his abysmal approval ratings and continuing war on Iran. His hand-picked MAGA candidates are causing problems in races that should have been easy wins for the GOP.
The Texas Senate race is breaking blue, with voters deeply mistrustful of Trump’s pick, the scandal-plagued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Trump has visited Texas, Alabama, Ohio and Oklahoma in the past week, attempting to rally support among the party faithful.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
