President Trump was interrupted by at least 12 hecklers — two of whom were assaulted on-camera by outraged rally-goers Wednesday night in South Carolina, with the commander in chief praising an older supporter for beating a protester near the stage.
“Who’s the guy that threw the punch? You are!” Trump said from the stage at Clemson University after a scrawny male protester was taken away by sheriff’s deputies.
“You reminded me of Evander ‘the Real Deal’ Holyfield,” Trump told the senior-citizen assailant, likening him to the four-time heavyweight boxing champion, who attended the rally.
“They don’t realize it’s really dangerous to do that,” Trump said of heckling. “It takes courage to do that at a Trump rally. He got whacked. Just he started, you know, that screech, whatever the hell they do, whatever they practice. And as he’s in the process of the screech, he got whacked!”
An earlier heckler, a man wearing a suit and tie, was stalked outside the expo center’s main floor and smacked on the head by another older man.
It was unclear if either assailant was arrested.
The large number of hecklers and the ensuing scuffles was unusual for a Trump rally and was reminiscent of the then-Republican candidate’s chaotic 2016 campaign events.
The precise message shouted by the hecklers was difficult to hear, though one young man showed the president two middle fingers.
Trump made the trip to support the campaign of appointed Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC), who is seeking a full six-year term after filling her late brother Lindsey Graham’s seat in July.
He attacked Graham’s Democratic opponent Annie Andrews a pediatrician doing surprisingly well in polling in the deeply conservative state.
Trump claimed Andrews “supports giving sex toys and other obscene materials to seriously confuse young people and children.”
Her campaign did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Trump also referred to the Democrat as “Tranny Annie,” claiming she was “a fanatical transgender activist.”
“She’s really a rabid advocate for taxpayer-funded child sexual mutilation,” he said. “She’s a mutilizer. You know what a mutilizer is? That’s a person that doesn’t do good things.”
Andrews told Forbes last month: “I don’t support biological men playing in women’s sports and I also don’t support and have never performed gender surgery on minors.”
Trump touted his plans for a $5,000 payday to every American if Republicans retain control of Congress and received applause rattling off his accomplishments since reclaiming power last year, including new tax cuts and dramatically reducing illegal immigration along the US-Mexico border.
But his focus on the Senate contest was derailed by the persistent heckling.
“It’s always right at my punchline,” he said. “I’ve had three punchlines, and three of them — they time them beautifully.”
