Congressman Threatens Don Jr. on Live TV for Saying Dems Want Coronavirus to Spread: If I See Him ‘There Would Be A Serious Altercation’

Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) threatened Donald Trump Jr. on MSNBC, Friday, after Trump Jr. insinuated Democrats want people to get sick from the coronavirus.

As Garamendi spoke about the latest Californian to test positive for the coronavirus, MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson said, “I think it’s coming through the screen you’re angry, you’re obviously visibly emotional about this,” before asking the congressman about Trump Jr. saying Democrats are seemingly hoping the coronavirus, “comes here to kill millions of people so it can end the president’s streak of winning.”

“He shouldn’t be near me when he says that,” Garamendi replied. “There would be a serious altercation.”

“That’s just totally outrageous. I can assure you there’s not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick,” he continued, concluding, “Don Jr. better not get any place close to me. It would not be a healthy situation.”

Andy Surabian, a spokesman for Trump Jr., condemned Garamendi’s comments in a statement.

“The outrageous remarks from Congressman Garamendi were beyond the pale and should be universally condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike,” Surabian said. “Almost as outrageous as the Congressman’s comments was the lack of pushback or condemnation from MSNBC host Hallie Jackson, whose silence about political violence aimed towards a member of the first family was truly deafening.”

“By threatening Don Jr. with physical violence on national TV, Congressman Garamendi made clear to everyone watching that he is better suited to represent Antifa than the people of California’s 3rd Congressional district,” he continued, calling on Garamendi to “apologize immediately.”

Trump Jr. had appeared on Fox News earlier on Friday and said, “Anything that they can use to try to hurt Trump, they will. Anything he does in a positive sense, like you heard from the reporter that was just suspended from ABC, they will not give him credit for. The playbook is old at this point.”

“But for them to to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they could end Donald Trump’s streak of winning is a new level of sickness,” he continued.

Watch above via MSNBC.

This article has been updated to include a statement from Trump Jr.’s spokesman Andy Surabian.