Trump mistakes black supporter for 'thug' and removes from rally (VIDEO)

Donald Trump’s reputation for being racist wasn’t helped when one of his black supporters was kicked out of his Kinston, North Carolina rally, and Trump called the man a “thug” as he was being removed by security.

“We have a protester!” Trump announced to the crowd at the Kinston Jet Center on Wednesday, before asking, “Were you paid $1,500 to be a thug?”

Trump was referring to accusations that the Clinton campaign paid people to rile up Trump supporters at his rallies.

“You can get him out. Get him out,” Trump said as the crowd cheered and booed.

The “protester” turned out to be C.J Cary, a Trump supporter and ex-Marine who had come to the rally in the hope of delivering a letter to the Republican candidate.

In the letter, he urged Trump to be “less offensive” to women and more inclusive so that Clinton would not beat him, according the Charlotte News & Observer. The letter also said, “You must defeat lying Hillary and lying Obama. These characters are bad really bad.”

“He entirely mistook that and thought that I was a protester,” Cary told the newspaper.

As Trump’s security team were escorting Cary away, one man noticed he was wearing a Republican badge. Cary explained he simply wanted to give Trump the note, and the man said, “Well dude, we’d be happy to give it to him.”

Despite the incident, Cary tweeted in defense of Trump after the rally, saying he “still support Donald J Trump 4 president.”

Cary then went on to explain Trump’s remarks, “By the way, I was probably the only Black at least at the front. It’s not his fault he did not know who I was at that moment,” he said. “He has been so traumatized by Black hate. What would have have thought I was doing?”

This isn’t the first time Trump has alienated his black supporters. At a California rally in June, he pointed to a black supporter and said “Look at my African American over there.”

Trump has 7 percent of black support in the US, according to Real Clear Politics.