Trump goes on bizarre rant claiming protesters are throwing cans of tuna at police

President name-drops Goya Foods amid claims about protesters throwing tins

Donald Trump told supporters at his latest campaign rally that crowds protesting racism had thrown tuna and soup cans at police.

In an attack on demonstrations that took place in Minneapolis, Portland and across the United States this summer, the US president claimed that participants had hit police with cans of tuna.

He told a campaign rally crowd in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night that cans of tuna and soup “were the perfect weight”.

"They go out and buy tuna fish and soup,” said the president, who then name-dropped the Goya Foods brand mid-sentence, which he has endorsed in the past, saying: “Goya I hope, he’s great, good guy”.

He continued: “Because they throw it, they throw it, it's the perfect weight — tuna fish, they can really rip it, right?

“And that hits you. No, it's true,” said Mr Trump, before naming a second food brand, Bumble Bee Seafoods.

“Bumble Bee tuna, and you can throw that stuff, put a curve ball in it,” he told the crowd, despite no media reports on police being hit with cans of tuna.  

In a statement, Bumble Bee Seafoods said its tuna cans should not be thrown, as the company responded to the president’s claim on Twitter.

It read: "Eat em. Don't throw em”.

The president went on to claim that those taking part in Black Lives Matter demonstrations seen since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd in May were paid to take part “by stupid rich people”.

He provided no evidence to support that claim.