--- title: Donald Trump Tells Crowd to "Knock the Crap Out Of" Hecklers description: After a protestor lobbed a tomato at Donald Trump last week, the billionaire told a crowd Monday to defend him at an Iowa campaign rally. canonical: https://time.com/4203094/donald-trump-hecklers/ author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-01T20:51:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:29.729Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump Tells Crowd To "Knock the Crap Out Of" Hecklers og:description: He said he'd pay the legal fees if anyone roughed them up. og:url: https://time.com/4203094/donald-trump-hecklers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1dce8caf8f71935/69887b755f570f6a4bb1f6ce/donald-trump-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Clinton Middle School, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Clinton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump Tells Crowd To "Knock the Crap Out Of" Hecklers twitter:description: He said he'd pay the legal fees if anyone roughed them up. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1dce8caf8f71935/69887b755f570f6a4bb1f6ce/donald-trump-002.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Tells Crowd to 'Knock the Crap Out Of' Hecklers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Trump Supporters In Iowa Weigh In On the Silent Majority [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Supporters In Iowa Weigh In On the Silent Majority](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QMDtVyRi.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2016-02-01_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 1, 2016 8:51 PM UTC  Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Clinton Middle School in Clinton, Iowa, on Jan. 30, 2016. Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Clinton Middle School in Clinton, Iowa, on Jan. 30, 2016.Charlie Neibergall—AP by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Feb 1, 2016 8:51 PM UTC [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4201794/donald-trump-silent-majority/) 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](http://time.com/4174182/muslim-protester-donald-trump-rally/), with the disruptions protesting the rhetoric of some of the GOP front-runner’s talking points. > [](https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/692192463818203136) 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](http://time.com/4202291/iowa-caucus-polls-donald-trump-bernie-sanders-ted-cruz-hillary-clinton/) heading into the Iowa Caucuses. 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