'I said that': GOP governor caught insulting anti-Trump protesters in profanity-laced rant

A surreptitiously recorded rant by Nevada Republican Governor Joe Lombardo speaking to supporters at a Republican event is going viral on social media.

Liberal group MeidasTouch obtained the audio of Lombardo's rant at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Carson City, Nevada over the weekend, which took place the same day that more than 1,400 protests took place at city halls and state capitols across the country. The Nevada chief executive derided protesters to a roomful of Republicans, and suggested without evidence that the Democratic Party was paying people to protest President Donald Trump's administration.

"And those stupid protests that occur in the state capitol and is paid by the Democratic Party, that momentum and those crowd sizes isn't because they're p----d, because they're making a difference, it's because they're getting paid," Lombardo said. "So don't lose sight of that."

READ MORE: Potential 'knives out' for MAGA Republicans following Trump's trade war implosion

"So in New York, they had, they were on social media professing 10,000 people. '10,000 people! People are p----d! We're making a difference!' You know how many people live in New York? You know how many people are registered Democrats in New York? And 10,000 people, that means nothing," he added. "We still are strong as a group."

Lombardo continued to rant about "individuals on social media" who are "talking bad about all of us." He then pretended to quote Nevada Republican Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony, whose alleged response to protesters was "f--- you," before then admitting: "He actually didn't say that. I said that."

In another clip, Lombardo acknowledged one man in the crowd who said of anti-Trump protesters: "They suck!" He also mocked the "Hands Off" framing of the protests, and said the theme of the Democratic Party was "hands out." Lombardo went on to suggest Democrats were handing out "taxpayers' money ... to people who don't feel like working."

The nationwide "Hands Off" protests on April 5 — which Democracy Now reported included more than one million people in all 50 states and several countries around the world — were coordinated largely on social media as part of the "50501" movement. That concept is meant to symbolize 50 protests in 50 states on one day. The "Hands Off" protest is chiefly focused on the Trump administration, though many protesters also singled out Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for their sweeping cuts to federal agencies and mass layoffs of government workers.

NOW READ: If you think Trump voters are changing their tune, you're fooling yourself

Watch the clips of Lombardo's leaked remarks below, or by clicking this link.