President Donald Trump responded to a heckler shouting about Jeffrey Epstein by casting himself as the man who recognized the financier’s disturbing behavior early, then pivoting to attacks on Democrats and accusations that paid protesters were targeting him.
“So I threw Jeffrey Epstein out of a club like 20 years ago, because I thought he was a whack job,” Trump told supporters at an Ohio campaign rally Wednesday night. “That was a great thing I did, I must tell you.”
He quickly shifted the focus.
“And he never came up with me. You know who he came up with? All of the friends of the Democrats.”
The response turned an interruption about Trump’s own connection to Epstein into a defense of his judgment and an attack on his political opponents. Trump declared himself “totally exonerated,” accused critics of exploiting Epstein’s name and dismissed the demonstrators as “paid protesters.”
The confrontation unfolded at the Shoemaker Center on Ohio University’s Chillicothe campus, where Trump campaigned for Republican candidates, including Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy.
A protester wearing a homemade shirt reading “RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES” began shouting about the president’s connection to Epstein. Video from the event showed the man appearing to record himself as audience members booed.
“Trump went on the Jeffrey Epstein plane —” the heckler shouted, repeating the phrase as the crowd tried to drown him out.
Trump turned from the podium to see who was shouting. Supporters broke into chants of “USA! USA! USA!” as security moved to remove the man. A bystander also joined in as the protester resisted removal.
Video circulating on social media also showed a woman giving Trump the middle finger before security escorted her out.
As the demonstrators left, Trump accused them of accepting money to disrupt his appearance.
“Oh these people, you know. There’s a guy, not a young guy, they gave him $250, paid protesters. Such losers.”
He offered no evidence during those remarks to support the payment allegation.
“Such LOSERS. Look at that guy. That guy is right out of the radical left playbook.”
Trump then addressed Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. But he claimed he expelled Epstein from his club, presenting that decision as proof of his own judgment.
“This guy was very nondescript, but I will say this, he mentioned Epstein,” Trump said, before praising himself for throwing the financier out.
He then invoked Epstein’s connections to Democrats and other prominent figures.
“He was a Democrat, you know, all of the friends. And whenever they bring his name, you know, like the guy who is the head of Harvard, who can’t, you got thrown off the board, and all his friends know, I threw Jeffrey Epstein the hell out of Mar-a-Lago.”
Trump followed that with a sweeping declaration about himself.
“And I was the one that was totally exonerated from him. But you know, they use it because that’s what they do. They’re sick, weak people. And these guys are paid protesters.”
The remarks did not directly address the heckler’s allegation about travel on Epstein’s plane. Instead, Trump moved from celebrating his claimed break with Epstein to blaming Democrats and questioning his critics’ motives.
The interruption came during Trump’s third visit to Ohio in October as he campaigned for Republicans in competitive statewide races.
Husted, who filled JD Vance’s Senate seat by appointment after Vance became vice president in January 2025, faces former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a special election. Recent polls have generally shown Brown with a narrow lead, often within the margin of error, according to NBC4.
Ramaswamy faces Democrat Amy Acton in an increasingly contentious gubernatorial contest. Trump has supported Ramaswamy’s attacks on Acton, including an advertisement featuring her estranged mother.
During the rally, Trump also renewed his promise to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. He argued that tariff revenue and economic growth would fund the payments. NBC4 reported that he provided no implementation timeline or detailed funding plan.
Trump credited tariffs with bringing manufacturing back to Chillicothe, pointing to plans to restart paper production at the former Pixelle mill. The mill’s 2025 closure cost nearly 800 workers their jobs. Its new owner expects to resume paper production by December and potentially create up to 350 additional jobs over the following year.
But the hecklers drew attention beyond the venue, with some social media users celebrating the interruptions.
“Suck it Trump,” one commenter posted.
“I love these protesters,” another wrote.
