Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail, harshly criticizing pro-Palestinian protesters and calling on universities to “defeat the radicals” in the first rally since his hush money trial began more than two weeks ago.
—You saw it last night. That’s a good thing that actually happened,” Trump said after New York City police cracked down on protesters who had occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.
Speaking at a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Wednesday afternoon, the former president said that “New York was under siege last night.”
The New York Police Department confirmed that 119 people were arrested in Columbia after police moved in to clear protesters from the occupied building and a nearby encampment.
“Radical extremists and far-left agitators are terrorizing college campuses,” Trump said.
The former president urged college presidents to “remove the camps immediately, defeat the radicals, and reclaim our campuses for all regular students who want a safe place to learn.”
Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, where he praised police for clearing Columbia and criticized university protests.
Trump shakes hands with man dressed as Uncle Sam at Wisconsin rally
Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers entering through an upstairs window of the historic building after students blocked the entrance.
Trump attacked the university president, criticizing “a woman” for waiting so long and being “so weak.”
Police use a vehicle called ‘The Bear’ to enter Hamilton Hall from a public street, which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the Columbia University campus.
Hundreds of officers stormed the campus, with officers entering through an upstairs window of the historic building after students blocked the entrance.
“They could have done this with the tents and everything would have been quick and smooth,” Trump said. But they did an incredible job. They entered one of the large buildings, a large iconic building. Wow, he got beat up last night.
He called Columbia’s cleanliness “a beautiful thing to see—the best of New York.”
The former president praised the police across the country and said He is going to give the police back “their power.”
During the event, Trump claimed that Biden is nowhere to be found and mocked the president.
Trump’s visit to the battleground state was Trump’s first campaign rally since the hush money trial began more than two weeks ago. The president is accused of falsifying business records to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The court meets on Wednesdays, which allows the former president to start his electoral campaign that day.
From Wisconsin, Trump was also headed to Michigan on Wednesday for a second event.