Trump taunted protesters confronted by supporters during Pittsburgh event: 'Don't hurt them, please!'

y BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

US President Donald Trump speaks during the 9th Shale Insight Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on October 23, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

• US President Donald Trump taunted protesters at the Shale Insight Conference, where he addressed supporters and attendees Wednesday. 
• "Don't hurt 'em, don't hurt 'em please," Trump said shaking his head. "They don't know they're dealing with very tough people in this room."
• Protesters from a progressive Jewish group had gathered outside the event to demonstrate against white nationalism, and according to local media clashed with pro-Trump demonstrators. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

US President Donald Trump taunted protesters who interrupted his speech at an event in Pittsburgh Wednesday, telling supporters who confronted them: "Don't hurt 'em, please."

In a video of the incident shared by the president on Twitter, he paused his speech at the Shale Insight Conference as protesters interrupted. 

"Don't hurt 'em, don't hurt 'em please," Trump said shaking his head. "They don't know they're dealing with very tough people in this room.

"They don't know who they're dealing with," the president continued, hitting the side of his lectern as members of the crowd cheered.

"They don't know who they're dealing with. They just don't understand."

"Alright, go home to mom. Explain to mom that you tried to take on very powerful people, and many of them physically as well as mentally - that's not a good thing to do, not in this room, be careful. Make sure you don't hurt them, please. Thank you."

Read more: Trump's acting ambassador to Ukraine blew apart the president's 'no quid pro quo' impeachment defense, leaving Republicans to clutch at straws to defend him

Protesters from the Bend the Arc progressive Jewish group had gathered outside the venue to protest against white nationalism ahead of the event, and were involved in clashes with a smaller group of pro-Trump protesters, reported The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 

Reuters/Leah Mills

Supporters listen as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the keynote remarks at the Shale Insight 2019 Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 23, 2019.

About a dozen anti-racism protesters were arrested as they knelt in the road blocking one of the entrances to the venue where Trump delivered his speech, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

According to CBS News, there were pro-Trump supporters as well as conference attendees at the president's tax-payer funded appearance, where he broke with protocol by launching a series of partisan attacks against Democrats.

Read more: Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani is looking for a new lawyer, report says, after abruptly parting ways with his last one in the middle of the Ukraine scandal

During the event, protesters who were in the same part of the venue as the pro-Trump supporters reportedly held up banners, which were pulled down by Trump supporters, and Trump began taunting them. 

In a tweet, Jewish Insider reporter Jacob Kornbluh said that the protesters had hauled up a banner reading "Trump endagers Jews," and posted a video showing them chanting the slogan as Trump supporters pulled down the banner.

During the 2016 election, Trump received widespread criticism for seeming to incite violence against a protester at a rally in Las Vegas. 

"You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks," said Trump at the time.