Trump heckled at Texas rally as he calls protesters paid
Donald Trump was repeatedly heckled by protesters at a Texas rally to boost Republicans before the midterms, and he mocked them as paid by enemies of the United States.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Donald Trump was heckled repeatedly by protesters at a rally in Texas as he tried to boost Republican support ahead of the midterm elections. The event took place in a state that has traditionally been a safe Republican seat, though the party has been losing support there recently.
Speaking from the stage, Trump dismissed the protesters as paid operatives and said they were funded by enemies of the United States. He mocked their appearance and claimed their shirts were made by the same printer. "Now I'm telling you, they pay them for this," he said. "You know, many of these protesters are paid. You know that, right? Because you come in, and you know they'll have like this perfect shirt on made by the best printer money can buy, and they all have... I love when they all have the same exact size, all beautiful pink and purple and blue and all different colors, and they're perfect made by the same printer. They're paid by enemies of our nation. If there are any more paid protesters, please raise your hand and get the hell out of here."
The remarks came during a rally intended to rally Republican voters before the midterms. Texas remains a Republican-leaning state, but recent contests have shown narrowing margins, making it a more competitive target for Democrats. The broadcast item did not identify the city or venue, the number of protesters, or any response from rally organisers. No further details about the protesters or their affiliations were given.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Donald Trump said the protesters were paid by US adversaries. | |
| Donald Trump's Texas rally was intended to boost Republican support ahead of the midterm elections. | |
| Protesters repeatedly heckled Donald Trump at a rally in Texas. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News treated the heckling as a brief news item within its rolling morning programme. It focused on Trump's attempt to boost Republicans, Texas's traditional Republican lean but recent loss of support, and his claim that the protesters were paid. The report used a clip of Trump mocking the protesters but did not give location, protester demands, or wider reaction.
- “Donald Trump has been heckled repeatedly by protesters at a rally in Texas.”
- “Texas, of course, a traditionally safe Republican seat, but the party has been losing support there recently.”
- “They're paid by enemies of our nation.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.