Media

MSNBC guest calls for ‘pitchforks and torches’ outside of Trump Hamptons fundraiser

by Joe Concha - 08/09/19 10:57 AM ET

MSNBC guest Elie Mystal declared there should be “pitchforks and torches” outside the Southampton, N.Y., home of Equinox and SoulCycle chairman Stephen Ross for hosting a fundraiser for President Trump there this weekend.

Mystal, an executive editor for “Above the Law,” made the comments on “All in with Chris Hayes” on Thursday night.

{mosads}”I want pitchforks and torches outside this man’s house in the Hamptons,” Mystal said. “I’ve been to the Hamptons, it’s very nice. There’s no reason it has to be. There’s no reason he should be able to have a nice little party. There’s no reason why people shouldn’t be able to be outside of his house and making their voices peacefully understood.”

“Totally. There have been peaceful protests outside Mitch McConnell’s house,” host Hayes responded, referring to the Senate majority leader, a Republican from Kentucky.

In one video of the protests outside of McConnell’s home that was shared by his campaign’s Twitter account, a protester is overheard saying she wished McConnell had “broken his little, raggedy, wrinkled-ass neck” and that someone should “just stab the motherf—er in the heart.”

McConnell injured his shoulder after tripping on his patio earlier this week.

“I imagine there will be peaceful protests outside this which is, again it’s all speech, right, peaceful protest, the right to assembly under the First Amendment,” Hayes continued. “That is the way that, because, your point here is how does civil society deal with what we’re seeing?”

Ross said Thursday in a statement that he has known the president for decades and doesn’t agree with him on everything.

“I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions,” Ross said.

The weekend of fundraisers is expected to raise more than $10 million for Trump’s 2020 campaign.

Trump and the Republican National Committee combined to raise more than $100 million in the second quarter alone.

Tags Campaign Fundraising Donald Trump equinox Hamptons Mitch McConnell MSNBC Protests soulcycle