An elderly man described as liberal was caught on camera Tuesday appearing to slap an 18-year-old Republican voter outside a polling place in New Hampshire.
The confrontation took place while Turning Point Action, the political advocacy group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, was operating a table outside Woodland Heights School in Laconia.
The incident is now under investigation by police in Belknap County, according to the county Republican Committee. Both the Republican and Democratic committees condemned the alleged assault.
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also denounced the episode, calling it “more despicable behavior from the left.”
“This young man with [Turning Point Action] clearly made his points and this left-wing nut assaulted him,” Leavitt wrote on X as video of the confrontation circulated online. She added that she trusted local police “will take care of this ASAP.”
In the footage, the angry older man appears to confront the 18-year-old, who was staffing the conservative advocacy group’s table.
“You have no idea who I am, so how dare you say I don’t know much,” the unidentified man tells the Turning Point Action volunteer, who was wearing a Freedom hat and sweatshirt.
The teenager responds calmly, telling the man that he had not “presented a single statistic.”
That response appeared to further escalate the confrontation.
The unidentified attacker was seen giving the 18-year-old Republican the middle finger and slapping him across the face. Source: @austindunn96 / X
‘Neither have you,’ he shouted back. ‘God d***, I cannot believe that bulls**t.
‘You sit there and dare to look me in the face and say I don’t know anything,’ he continued, before putting a middle finger in the man’s face.
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‘That’s what I know,’ he then said, as he slapped the Turning Point Action member across the face and walked away.
Turning Point Action has since praised the teenager, who the group said ‘stood his ground’ amid the confrontation.
‘He stayed calm. The left got violent,’ the group posted on X.
It then advised the public: ‘Don’t cede the ground, show up to the polls.
‘Your vote helps us outnumber these people.’
In a separate statement posted online, the Belknap County Republican Committee said it ‘condemns all forms of violence both in and outside of the political process.’
‘We will not tolerate any such attacks as our fellow citizens practice our most fundamental right to engage in democracy.’
The Belknap County Democratic Committee also posted online that it ‘condemns political violence of any kind.’
The shocking incident occurred as Turning Point Action, the political advocacy group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, was tabling outside of a polling place at Woodland Heights School in Laconia (pictured). Source: Google
Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the incident as ‘more despicable behavior from the left’
The assault came just hours after former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski, a three-time Super Bowl winner, signed jerseys and posed for photos with voters at New Hampshire’s Bedford High School, joined by his longtime girlfriend, Camille Kostek.
He was one of numerous athletes to head out in the state, where several competitive races were playing out, including a potentially pivotal US Senate contest between Democrat Chris Pappas and Republican John Sununu.
Gronkowski, who has not been politically outspoken but is a registered Republican in Florida where he resides, said his presence was all about encouraging voters to turn out and have their say.
‘And the air is brisk and the people are just so wonderful,’ he told Boston 25 News. ‘And just taking pictures with everyone that are coming out here to vote.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Turning Point Action and Laconia Police for comment.
