Pocket constitutions and animal rights: Protests disrupt dueling Trump & Clinton rallies

At campaign rallies on opposite ends of the country, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attempted to distinguish themselves from their opponent. Both events were punctuated by the booing, jeering and heckling of protesters, however.

Republican nominee Donald Trump took to the podium in Portland, Maine on Thursday, promulgating his policy positions and slamming Hillary Clinton over her actions while serving as secretary of state, her positions on trade, and her strong anti-gun rhetoric.

However, some of his statements were drowned out by the booing and heckling of the members of the Maine’s People’s Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to left-wing activism.

The protesters, who were waving pocket-sized copies of the US Constitution in the air, were escorted out by the Secret Service. Trump supporters could be heard chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” as the protesters exited.

The organization released a statement, stating that the activists were standing up for the principles for which Captain Khan – a Muslim US Army officer who died in combat in 2004 – died for. Khan’s father held up a pocket Constitution while denouncing Trump at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia last week.

“America is a country built on the ideal that all people are worthwhile,” the statement reads. “That includes Muslims, women and immigrants. We are all stronger, together, because our differences.”

The content of Trump’s speech to the audience had some peculiarities as well. Trump said that he watched a video of Iran receiving a shipment of $400 million in cash in exchange for hostages from Iran, but MSNBC pointed out that such a video does not exist.

Clinton’s rally in Las Vegas, Nevada – which was held around the same time as Trump’s Maine event – also saw disruptions by protesters. Animal rights activists tried to storm the stage, chanting and holding signs reading: “Until Every Animal Is Free.”

Her security detail encouraged her to “keep talking” as the protesters were dealt with.

“OK, we'll keep talking. And apparently these people are here to protest Trump, because Trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals,” Clinton said. “So thank you for making that point.”