Trump Gets Heckled by Protesters in Kansas City, Promises to ‘Press Charges'

Trump said he wanted to "beat" the man that disrupted his rally in Dayton

Donald Trump was repeatedly interrupted while speaking at a rally in Kansas City, Missouri, Saturday evening, and promised to take action against those who interrupted him, while telling the audience he wanted to "beat" a man who disrupted his earlier rally.

Trump asked police to remove the first three people within minutes of taking to the stage. At several points, Trump jokingly asked whether there were "any more protesters" in the audience before promising to press charges on anyone disrupting his rallies. 

"I say to the rest of the room, we are going to go strongly for your arrest,” Trump told protesters. "And I’m going to do this from now on."

Trump accused the protesters of coming directly from the Bernie Sanders camp. Sanders issued a statement saying his campaign did not organize the protests. 

The Kansas City Police Department tweeted it "had to use pepper spray 2 times" outside the rally and "arrested 2 people," following up that the "Majority of people exercised their rights peacefully." 

Trump seemed unfazed by what happened just hours earlier, when a man tried to jump onto the stage when he was speaking at a rally in Dayton, Ohio.

The suspect, identified as Thomas Dimassimo, 32, "attempted to breach the secure buffer and was removed rapidly and professionally," a campaign spokewoman said. 

“I wasn't prepared," Trump told the Kansas City audience of the disruption. "He was a strong guy."

Trump thanked the Secret Service agents who rushed to protect him. Trump said he would have “beat” Dimassio, making a motion with his fist. 

Dimassio was charged Saturday with disorderly conduct and inducing panic — both misdemeanors, officials told NBC News.

Trump said he was released, but told supporters he felt Dimassio “should be in jail.”

On Friday, groupings of well-organized students succeeded in keeping Trump from even taking the stage at a rally in Chicago.

“I had a decision to make. Do I go speak and watch an unbelievable riot? Or do I say I’m not going to do it?"

Trump said he decided to cancel the rally, which demonstrated he his ability to work well “under pressure."

Trump's events have always been intense. For months, he incorporated interruptions by protesters into his speeches, growling "Get 'em out!" — sparking explosive cheers from the audiences as he did so.

While Trump sometimes appears angered by the disruptions, he has also embraced them, using the interruptions as opportunities to lead his supporters in chants of "USA, USA." He's also joked about how the protesters force TV cameras to pan out over the crowd and show how large they are.

Trump has laughed off some of the recent events, arguing that he's not to blame for what's taking place at his rallies.

"My people aren't violent," Trump said at his rally in Cleveland. "It's these people that come in. My people want to do one thing: Make America great again. That's what they want to do, one thing."

The Associated Press also contributed to this report. 

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