Donald Trump told supporters Monday to “knock the crap out of” would-be hecklers at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“If you see somebody with a tomato, knock the crap out of them,” Trump said, referencing another incident with a protestor.
Trump was in Iowa last week when a protestor threw a tomato—and missed. Protests are frequent at his rallies, with the disruptions protesting the rhetoric of some of the GOP front-runner’s talking points.
Trump said he would even pay for any legal fees that supporters incurred stopping a tomato-thrower. The theory was quickly put to the test when Trump spotted a protestor and had them removed.
The event is Trump’s last in Iowa before early voting begins. A poll placed Trump in the lead Monday, ahead of opponent Ted Cruz by seven points heading into the Iowa Caucuses. He is doing particularly well with new voters.
