LOUISVILLE, KY. — On the biggest day of his campaign, Donald Trump ordered his security to remove dozens of protesters from a Super Tuesday rally.
As protesters were forced out, Trump supporters booed them, shoved them and flipped them off.
“Get ‘em out of here,” Trump said, again and again.
By the end of the day, Trump had clinched a majority of the states holding primaries on Super Tuesday, making him the most likely contender for the Republican nomination.
High school students, Bernie Sanders supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters were among those ejected from the Kentucky International Convention Center. Many joined a larger Black Lives Matter protest after the rally concluded.
An elderly man in a military uniform repeatedly shoved a young black woman, following and pushing her for several yards.
Bystanders tore signs from the hands of Bernie Sanders supporters. Some were surrounded and gridlocked by Trump supporters, unable to exit the premises as they were directed to do.
“If I say, ‘Go get ‘em,’ I’ll get in trouble with the press, the most dishonest human beings in the world,” Trump said, as security guards funneled Black Lives Matter protesters through the agitated crowd. “If I say, ‘Don’t hurt ‘em,’ then the press says, ‘Well, Trump isn’t as tough as he used to be.’”
Trump then demanded a sign — which read “HISPANICS 4 TRUMP” to be passed up to him on stage.
“Get that sign up here. Let me see that,” Trump told the crowd, before holding it up and smiling as the protesters made their exit.
A group of seniors from duPont Manual High School came to protest for their school’s day of public service. They stuck to the edges of the crowd, trying to keep a low profile. They feared for their safety from the time they entered the rally, said Sarah Olive, 17, one of the students.
“We’re deathly nervous to be here,” Olive said. “Especially since some of us are people of color or wearing head scarves, people are already looking at us.”
The students expected to be asked to leave after they held up their signs, which read “A vote for Trump is a vote for terror” and “#NeverTrump,” but they were determined to be heard.
“I won’t support a president that hates me,” said Hannah Phillips, 17, another student.
Conflict at Trump’s rallies has become commonplace during the last few days. In Radford, Virginia, a Time photographer was slammed to the ground by a United States Secret Service agent. In Valdosta, Georgia, a group of black students was asked to leave before Trump even took the stage. They had planned to sit in silent protest.
Trump addressed the crowd of thousands in Kentucky after a rally in Columbus, Ohio, earlier in the day.
He promoted the same plans as he has throughout his campaign: building a wall on the Mexican border, repealing Obamacare and beefing up the military.
Trump said other countries are laughing at and taking advantage of the U.S.
He alluded to tough action against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and said there is little he wouldn’t consider when it came to dealing with terrorists.
“People ask me what I think about waterboarding and I tell them, ‘I think it’s absolutely fine,’” Trump said.
He also poked fun at the other candidates, calling Marco Rubio “a lightweight” and saying Hillary Clinton had no stamina and would call meetings at the White House but show up several days later after a long nap.
Many of his supporters find his candid attitude and jokes appealing. Albert Haas, 92 and a World War II veteran, said he most admires Trump’s independence and candor.
“He’s his own man,” Haas said. “He says what he means, and he’ll do what it takes to get the job done.”
Some still have concerns about his lack of specificity in policy and his insensitive behavior. TinaGay Riddle, a former diversity educator and military police officer, said she is uncomfortable with Trump’s treatment of women and hopes he will correct it.
“I’m very interested to see how many women he puts in his cabinet because there are a lot of qualified women he should be using,” Riddle said.
After the rally ended, a group of Black Lives Matter protesters collided with a group of Trump supporters outside the Convention Center.
Screaming in the pouring rain, they stood on opposite sides of the street, separated only by a line of policemen.
“Black lives matter! No justice, no peace!”
“All lives matter! Build a wall, build a wall!”
The tension escalated as both sides continued to surge toward one another before the police forced the protesters to disperse.
Even as they spread into the streets and the tension dissipated, Trump supporters and protesters still kept chanting.
Republican Super Tuesday primary results
Democratic Super Tuesday primary results
