Donald Trump\u2019s latest campaign rally was rocked by repeated protests on Wednesday as the US president urged Texas voters to back embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n
At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted the US president during his remarks in San Antonio, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted<\/a> by an older Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena.<\/p>\n Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone after one protester appeared to approach the stage. \u201cHe\u2019s going back home to mom,\u201d the president said after the man was removed. \u201cBut what he doesn\u2019t know is his mom voted for Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n Supporters waving cowboy hats and chanting \u201cUSA\u201d drowned out some of the protesters, while Trump told demonstrators to \u201cget the hell out of here\u201d. He mocked their appearance and claimed without evidence that \u201cthey\u2019re paid by enemies of our nation\u201d.<\/p>\n The president also used Wednesday\u2019s rally to address recent comments<\/a> in which he appeared to suggest that Iran could destroy Los Angeles or San Diego, earning widespread condemnation from Democrats.<\/p>\n In remarks that were again less than crystal clear, Trump said: \u201cI said it the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. Let them hit \u2013 you want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles and you want to see some bad things happen.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want to see a country that would be in freefall. We\u2019re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country, we\u2019re not letting that happen. And they\u2019d use it, too. They\u2019d use it.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump was making his third trip to Texas<\/a> in less than a month as Republicans pour money into races they had expected to win comfortably in November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n Paxton, whom Trump endorsed during the Republican primary after turning against the incumbent senator John Cornyn, was called on stage by the president and thanked him for his support.<\/p>\n \u201cMr President, I want to thank you for coming for me, for coming for us, and for coming for Texas,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cWe are going to win this race.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump described Paxton as \u201cperhaps the greatest attorney general in the United States of America,\u201d and said: \u201cHe was tough and he was with us all the way. He\u2019s a fantastic man.\u201d<\/p>\n The Republican campaign to maintain control of the Senate has become increasingly focused on Texas, where Democrat James Talarico has emerged as a serious threat. A New York Times\/ Siena College poll<\/a> released last weekend showed Talarico leading Paxton 51% to 45% among likely voters. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.<\/p>\n Trump won the state by almost 14 percentage points in 2024, but his approval rating has fallen sharply. A Reuters\/Ipsos poll completed on Monday put his approval rating at 32%, while registered voters preferred Democrats to Republicans 44%-37%.<\/p>\n