Palin on Trump protesters: ‘Punk-ass, little thuggery’

Sarah Palin’s description of the protesters increasingly disrupting Donald Trump’s rallies?

“Punk-ass, little thuggery.”

Palin campaigned with Trump in Tampa Monday before returning to Alaska to be with her husband, Todd, who was in a serious snow machine accident.

“We don’t have time for all that petty, punk-ass little thuggery stuff that’s been going on with these ‘protesters,’ who are doing nothing but wasting your time and trying to take away your First Amendment rights,” she said. “And the media being on the thugs’ side – what the heck are you guys thinking, media?”

Trump calls for protesters arrest

The GOP presidential front-runner’s rallies have turned increasingly violent in the past week as supporters have clashed with protesters. Trump was forced to cancel a rally in Chicago over the weekend and was given a scare when a protester rushed the stage Saturday.

Trump told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Monday “there’s no violence, nobody’s been hurt” at his rallies, which have had a number of high-profile incidents of violence in the past week.

“First of all let’s not even use the word violence, there’s very little disruption generally speaking. It’s a function of the press, the press likes to say what the press likes to say,” Trump said.

‘Trump is a bully,’ says man who rushed stage

“If one person gets up and starts shouting and the police walks that person out, they try and make it like it’s a violent thing. It’s not violent. It’s a protester that stands up or probably a disruptor, because I think they’re sent there by people on the other side,” he said.

Trump added: “But there’s no violence, nobody’s been hurt.”

But he reiterated that he doesn’t support any violence at his rallies.

“No, I don’t like that. And we don’t condone that, Wolf. And I’ve said that numerous times,” Trump said, when asked about the North Carolina supporter who punched the protester.

CNN’s Tom LoBianco contributed to this report.