Eric Trump drew swift backlash online for his use of a slur to refer to demonstrators in Los Angeles protesting against the ICE raids and mass deportations.
During an interview with conservative political commentator Benny Johnson, the son of President Donald Trump called the protesters “mongoloids,” while alleging they attacked law enforcement.
“And then you flip to the other side of the country, go to LA where you look at an overpass where these mongoloids are throwing cinderblocks at cops and cop cars, and ravaging them,” Trump said.
The term, which is classified as “dated” and “offensive” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a slur that points to “a person affected with Down syndrome.”
People quickly tore into Trump for his use of the word, calling it “disgusting” and “cruel.”
“Disgusting. Eric Trump calls protesters ‘mongoloids’ — straight-up slur on national TV,” one X user wrote. “The Trump brand isn’t just toxic. It’s proudly cruel. When do we say enough?”
“Dehumanizing people is essential to carrying out the next phases,” another person added.
Over the last two weeks, the city of Los Angeles has been the site of massive rallies attended by tens of thousands of people protesting the sweeping raids and deportations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Media outlets and law enforcement agencies have claimed that the city has turned into a “war zone,” citing chaos and violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the protests span the entire city, but most of the skirmishes that have been reported have stayed within a few city blocks of the downtown area. No deaths or burned buildings have been reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also said no one has been arrested for rioting or engaging in acts of violence during the demonstrations.
“The portrayal is that all of our cities are in chaos, rioting is happening everywhere, and it is a lie,” Bass said.
Protesters on the ground have also posted videos showing people marching peacefully down city streets, while local police stand idle as they monitor the events.
“There is no emergency, widespread threat, or out of control violence in Los Angeles,” Rick Caruso, former president of the L.A. Police Commission, wrote on X. “And absolutely no danger that justifies deployment of the National Guard, military, or other federal force to the streets of this or any other Southern California City.”
The president deployed authorities from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard and claimed on social media that they quelled civil unrest in the city.
“If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
According to reports, one clash did break out in which DHS agents and National Guardsmen used riot shields and tear gas to move protesters away from the downtown immigration detention center. Other than that, the federal agents have not intervened in the protests and have mostly stood in front of the immigration detention center and a federal courthouse to block protesters from entering.
