Trump called the mayor of Portland 'pretty pathetic' for attending a protest, where he was booed by residents and then tear gassed by federal agents

• President Donald Trump dissed the Democratic mayor of Portland during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity Thursday night.
• Trump said Mayor Ted Wheeler "made a fool out of himself" for attending a rally in the city on Wednesday night.
• Wheeler was booed while speaking at the protest, and was later tear gassed by federal agents that were dispatched to the city by the president.

President Donald Trump called the mayor of Portland "pretty pathetic" for attending a rally in his city, where he was booed by protesters and then tear gassed by federal agents.

Trump called out Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, during an interview on Sean Hannity's Fox News show Thursday night.

Commenting on Wheeler speaking at the protest Wednesday night, where he was booed, Trump said: "He made a fool out of himself."

Wheeler has been criticized in the city for failing to address the violent measures used by Portland's local police in previous protests.

"He wanted to be among the people, so he went into the crowd and so they knocked the hell out of him, so that was the end of him," Trump said Thursday. "So that was pretty pathetic."

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

The president emphasized that while Wheeler was exposed to tear gas fired by the federal agents, he was not physically attacked by anyone.

After being subjected to tear gas, Wheeler told a reporter for The New York Times: "I'm not going to lie — it stings; it's hard to breathe."

According to The Times, after the crowd was hit by another wave of tear gas, protesters mockingly asked him how he felt.

Protests in Portland have been ongoing since the death of George Floyd in late May. They reached a fever pitch last week when it was revealed that unidentified federal agents were picking protesters up off the street and putting them in unmarked cars.

Portland officials — including Wheeler — have been outspoken in their opposition to federal help in addressing the protests, which have raged on for more than 50 days.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has suggested it would send agents to more Democrat-led cities.

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