GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Donald Trump launched a vulgar attack on Hillary Clinton late Monday, including a sexually derogatory comment about her being “schlonged” by President Barack Obama in 2008.
“Even her race to Obama, she was gonna beat Obama,” the GOP front-runner told a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “I don’t know who would be worse, I don’t know. How does it get worse? But she was gonna beat — she was favored to win — and she got schlonged. She lost.”
Trump also made crude references to Clinton’s bathroom break during Saturday’s Democratic debate, describing it as “disgusting.”
“What happened to her?” Trump wondered. “I’m watching the debate, and she disappeared.” He then solved his own riddle: “I know where she went. It’s disgusting. I don’t want to talk about it. No, it’s too disgusting. Don’t say it, it’s disgusting. We want to be very straight up, OK?”
It wasn’t the first time Trump used the term “schlonged.” In 2011, while discussing the race for New York’s 26th District, Trump characterized the loss suffered by Republican Jane Corwin as “not only” a loss but an instance of getting “schlonged by a Democrat.”
Trump also launched vitriolic attacks on his Republican competitors. He described Jeb Bush’s candidacy as “sad,” telling the Michigan audience that Bush’s family is “ashamed” of his standing and candidacy — not the first time he’s made that claim.
Lindsey Graham’s decision to leave the race was also met with indifference from Trump. The two sparred frequently, Graham often punching up at Trump as his campaign struggled to gain traction in a field whose message is often controlled by Trump’s controversial statement.
“Sad,” Trump said of the news with a faux-frown on his face before reminding the crowd how “nasty” Graham had been to Trump over the past few months.
And while Trump lobbed punches at his opponents, he also dodged over a dozen interruptions from protesters assembled throughout the crowd.
The protesters have become a somewhat expected presence at Trump’s rallies, with causes ranging from Black Lives Matter to immigration to protests about his racist rhetoric. Monday’s rally, however, marked the most interruptions from protesters so far — beating out the previous record holding rally in Raleigh, N.C.,which boasted 10 interruptions.
Trump’s reaction to the protest ranged from urging calm, to joking that he liked them because it forced the cameras to show the crowd, to finally calling the protesters “a bunch of losers” before commanding security to “get them out.”
Seeming to presume that the protesters were all Democrats, Trump then posited that Republicans should’ve been protesting for the last seven or eight years of Obama. “Why didn’t we do it? OK. Say what you want about them. But we should’ve been doing it, we don’t do that.”
Of course, Obama has been interrupted by protesters in several venues, including a State of the Union address.
Days after pushing back on allegations that Russian President Vladmir Putin has killed journalists, Donald Trump assured a rally here that despite his hatred of the press, he would “never kill them.”
Trump assured that he “would never kill” journalists. He then sarcastically added: “Uhh, let’s see,” pausing as if to think if there would be circumstances under which his unequivocal “never” would change.
As the crowd laughed and turned their eyes to the media, Trump became serious once more: “No I wouldn’t. I would never kill them, but I do hate them. And some of them are such lying, disgusting people, it’s true.”
Moments later Trump referenced a group of photographers who were taking pictures of him as having “just come out of the cage,” a reference to the media area designated for press at his events.
Many in the audience cheered in support, laughing along with Trump’s wink and nod on the subject while turning to face the press pen in the center of the arena.
Linda and Tim Dykstra were among them, telling NBC News after the event “that was just a complete joke. He loves the media, you guys.” Linda added: “Just a little verbal lash. He’s not coming for ya.”
This article originally appeared at NBCNews.com.
Ali Vitali is MS NOW's senior congressional correspondent and the host of "Way Too Early." She is the author of "Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House … Yet."