Trump tells heckling climate protester to ‘go home to mommy’ at Iowa rally

The Sunrise Movement took responsibility for the interruption

Former president Donald Trump instructed a climate protester to “go home to mommy” after the activist interrupted an Iowa rally, accusing him of taking millions from oil and gas executives as president.

“Trump, you’ve taken millions!” a demonstrator yelled on 14 January in the middle of Mr Trump’s speech, held one day before the Iowa caucuses.

The former president snapped, “Thank you, darling. Thank you.”

A smile emerged on the Republican candidate’s face as the crowd booed at the protester. Mr Trump then snapped, “Go home to mommy. Your mommy’s waiting.”

The former president repeated, “Go home to mommy,” as the audience cheered for him.

Mr Trump later branded the demonstrator as “young and immature.”

Shortly thereafter, another protester called him a “climate criminal.”

The Sunrise Movement, a nonprofit advocating for political action to fight the climate crisis, claimed responsibility for the disruption: “We just interrupted Trump’s rally to call him out for what he is: a climate criminal who cares more about the oil and gas millionaires who bankroll his campaign than our generation’s future.”

The group also interrupted Mr Trump’s Republican rival Ron DeSantis at Iowa rallies last week.

The Washington Post reported in November that Mr Trump received campaign funds from hundreds of individuals from the gas and oil industry, noting that some even dropped over $23,000 for a photo with the former president.