Secret Service agents rushed to protect Donald Trump after a protester at his Saturday rally in Dayton, Ohio tried to jump on stage behind the candidate. In footage of the incident, Trump is shown recoiling in shock as something happens behind him and agents quickly appear to protect him. The crowd then quickly responds by chanting Trump’s name and “U.S.A.” before the candidate tried to shrug it off and resume his speech, insisting that while he “was ready” for the protester, it was better to let the authorities take care of it. A campaign spokesperson told NBC News that the man “attempted to breach the secure buffer and was removed rapidly and professionally.” A 32-year-old suspect named Thomas Dimassimo was subsequently arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and inducing a panic.
The incident comes less than a day after Trump, citing safety concerns, postponed a campaign event at an arena in Chicago after thousands of protesters arrived to disrupt the rally. Trump escalated his rhetoric about that event while speaking in Dayton, saying that if he hadn’t cancelled the rally, “You would have had a problem like you haven’t seen in a long time,” and calling the protests a “planned attack” by people carrying signs “printed by people that were professional people … very professionally done. A disgrace, if you want to know the truth.” He added that, “We want to get along with everybody. But when they have organized, professionally staged wiseguys, we’ve got to fight back.”
