‘They Spit, We Hit!’ Trump Vows LA Protestors Who Spit at Law Enforcement Will ‘Get Hit Very Hard’

Hours after deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles, President Donald Trump vowed consequences for protesters who spit on law enforcement officers.

Speaking to reporters in New Jersey before boarding Air Force One, the president — who, on Saturday, ordered the deployment of at least 2,000 National Guard troops to L.A. amid protests about ICE raids on workplaces — denounced the demonstrators’ tactics.

“When they spit at people — you know, they spit, that’s their new thing,” Trump said. “They spit and worse. You know what they throw at ’em, right? And when that happens, I have a little statement: They spit, we hit! And I told them — nobody’s going to spit on our police officers. Nobody’s gonna spit on military. Which they do as a common thing. They get up to them this far away, and then they start spitting in their faces. If that happens, they get hit very hard.”

Trump said he is considering invoking the insurrection act as a result of the protests.

“It depends on whether there’s an insurrection,” he said. When asked how he would define an insurrection, the president added, “You really just have to look at the site. You have to see what’s happening. Last night in Los Angeles, we watched it very closely. There was a lot of violence there. There was a lot of violence, and it could have gotten much worse.”

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.