Donald Trump Jr. stormed out of an event for his book - which attacks the left for stifling open debate - after getting heckled for refusing to do a Q&A
- Donald Trump Jr.'s new book, "Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us," accuses the left of censorship and stifling open debate.
- But during an event for his book at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Sunday, he upset his own audience by refusing to take questions, the Guardian reported.
- Trump claimed that he wouldn't take questions in case recordings of the interactions became viral news social media content that could damage his father, the newspaper reported.
- Attendees ended up heckling Trump, and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle. They left after 20 minutes of what was billed to be a two-hour event, the Guardian said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Donald Trump Jr., whose new book accuses his opponents of censorship and stifling open debate, stormed out of his own book launch Sunday after being heckled for refusing questions, The Guardian reported.
The president's son and his girlfriend, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, had been at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to promote his new book, "Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us."
The campus event had been organized by the conservative student group, Turning Point USA, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But barely 20 minutes into the event, which was meant to be two hours long, Trump Jr. supporters were angry that he and his girlfriend were refusing to take questions, the Guardian reported.
They offered excuses for their refusal, including "time constraints," and the prospect that footage of Trump answering questions could be twisted into viral social media posts to damage his father, The Guardian reported.
This appears to contradict the thesis of Trump Jr.'s book, which accuses critics of his father of seeking to silence people like him by using their "powers of censorship" and accusations of racism, rather than engaging with their ideas.
Here's how the event went down, as described by the Guardian:
Trump Jr.: I'm willing to listen...
Audience: Q and A! Q and A!
Trump Jr.: We'll go into the lion's den and talk…
Audience: "Then open the Q and A!"
Guilfoyle is said to have later shouted at the crowd: "You're not making your parents proud by being rude and disruptive."
She and Trump Jr. left the stage moments later, the Guardian said.
Neither UCLA nor Turning Point USA have responded to Business Insider's request for comment on the event.
UCLA students had also protested Trump Jr.'s invitation to campus earlier that day, with dozens of demonstrators holding signs and chanting: "UCLA protects fascists," the LA Times reported.
Trump Jr. has given a series of wild statements recently.
Trump Jr. has not said anything about the abortive UCLA book event.
But after another event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library later that day - where he stayed for four hours - he tweeted: "Thank you Reagan Library for an amazing evening ... Unlike some, this show stays HIGH ENERGY!"
- Read more:
- Donald Trump Jr.'s new book is a lengthy rant about how his family has been victimized by Trump's presidency
- Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. are in a 'cold war' for their father's favor and reportedly suspect each other of planting damaging stories
- Lawyer for Ukraine whistleblower threatens to sue Trump if he keeps up attacks, but the president's associates have already been spreading the person's alleged identity for days
- Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle dressed up as a 'witch hunt' for Halloween