Protester punched in face by Trump supporter, mocked by president at Ohio rally: 'Gotta go on a diet'

A heckler wearing a "Release the Epstein Files" shirt was punched in the face by an apparent supporter of President Donald Trump during a rally Monday in Youngstown, Ohio, before the president mocked the protester's weight.

Trump was criticizing Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Republican Sen. Jon Husted after losing his Senate seat in 2024, when rally attendees shifted their attention toward a confrontation in the crowd.

Video of the confrontation showed a rallygoer who appeared to support Trump shoving the heckler and striking her in the face as the crowd chanted "USA!"

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The man also grabbed the woman by the hair and attempted to slam her face toward the ground.

Police eventually intervened and broke up the fight before escorting the woman out of the venue. Video showed the man who struck her remaining in the arena and exchanging high-fives with other attendees.

Trump appeared to notice the disruption and accused the protester of being paid to interrupt the rally, although he offered no evidence to support the allegation. He also mocked the protester's weight.

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"He's a paid protester," Trump said, appearing to be unaware that the heckler was a 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. That’s a very low-class protester," the president added.

The woman's "Release the Epstein Files" shirt comes as Trump and his Justice Department face bipartisan scrutiny over the delay in the release of additional documents related to the investigations into deceased sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Just days before the fight on Monday, there was a fight at another Trump rally in San Antonio, Texas, where a man wearing a MAGA hat grabbed a heckler by the hair and pulled him to the ground.