Phil Tripp, the president of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen, angrily confronted a protester at a Donald Trump rally Saturday, accusing the man of spreading “liberal bull****.”
The encounter was recorded by the protester, 21-year-old college student Kiernan Majerus-Collins, of West Hartford, who posted it to his personal Facebook page Sunday.
More than 4,000 people watched the video. It is posted below:
Majerus-Collins discussed the incident during a taping of the Valley Indy’s “Navel Gazing” podcast Monday. Tripp was not available, but state Republican chairman JR Romano participated.
The complete “Navel Gazing” episode is posted below. Click play to listen.
After Trump took the podium and spoke for several minutes, Majerus-Collins said he raised a sign over his head reading “Ballots Not Bullets.”
The sign was a reference to a controversial, rambling comment Trump made about “Second Amendment people” and whether they could do something if Hillary Clinton picks Supreme Court justices. Click here to read a column from the National Review.
Majerus-Collins said he has attended four Trump rallies so far. He’s been thrown out twice. He said he makes it a point to silently raise a sign, then wait for the reaction.
Trump supporters are surprisingly thin-skinned, he said.
After Majerus-Collins raised his sign, a few Trump supporters began talking to Majerus-Collins.
Tripp approached Majerus-Collins and his friends, apparently bothered by their presence.
“Is there some reason you are interrupting my rally?” Tripp asked. “I really don’t appreciate it.”
“Get that out of my face,” Tripp said, pushing a cell phone away from his head.
“I’m pro-Second Amendment. You got a problem with that?” Tripp says twice, standing close to the protesters.
The Alderman begins to use profanity as he disagrees with the protester’s assessment of Trump’s “Second Amendment people” statement — that Trump’s words were an obvious threat.
“That is total liberal bull****. That is liberal bull****,” Tripp says, then talks loudly about the National Rifle Association. He concludes by stating Majerus-Collins didn’t belong in the rally.
Majerus-Collins and his friends were escorted out of he rally by the police. The Hartford Courant published a photograph showing an animated Tripp reacting to the officers’ arrival. It is republished at the top of this post.
Majerus-Collins said Tripp was the angriest Trump supporter he encountered Saturday. He said he was surprised when people told him later that Tripp was a local leader.
Romano, the state party leader, said Majerus-Collins is an activist who appears at Trump rallies to get a reaction.
“Phil’s a military guy, and he expressed an opinion — as did Kieran,” Romano said.
Click the play button above or click here to listen to full interviews with Romano and Majerus-Collins.
The video below is Majerus-Collins’ live stream from the rally.
