Philadelphia DA confronted by Republican activist at park, slams ‘fascist’ Trump

Progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner launched into a rant when confronted by a young Republican activist in a local park in a video that has since gone viral.

“Donald Trump is a fascist,” Krasner said during the confrontation. When prompted to elaborate on what he meant by the remark, Krasner instead deflected and continued his tirade.

“You’re un-American, Frank. You’re un-American,” Krasner repeated in the video. “You’re anti-American.”

Frank Scales, the man behind the camera, responded, “I’m a resident of this city who cares about public safety. Why are you calling me un-American?”

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“Because you support people who support hate,” Krasner replied. “You don’t understand what it means to be a fascist, what people like Adolf Hitler do, how spreading hate, which is something that, frankly, the people you admire do, gets us closer to that.”

Krasner then got personal, saying that Scales was “a 22-year-old who knows nothing [about what] he’s talking about” and called Scales’ outlet, Surge Philly, a “fake, non-existent paper.”

It’s unclear whether Scales knew ahead of time that Krasner would be in the park or if the confrontation was the result of a chance meeting.

During the encounter, Krasner referenced an incident in which Scales disrupted a meeting in the city. 

On Sept. 16, Scales participated in what the outlet WCAU described as a “brief disruption” during a town hall that Krasner was holding at the Salt & Life Church. 

This was part of a series of talks the district attorney planned to discuss with the public the possibility of President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Philadelphia, as he had in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, WPVI-TV reported.

The Trump administration has yet to announce plans to deploy the National Guard to Philadelphia. However, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said earlier this month that the state is “prepared” to respond if Trump were to send troops. 

“I can tell you that we are prepared,” Shapiro said, according to WPVI. “We are prepared should they try to deploy the National Guard against my will in any community across Pennsylvania.”

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“Fascists are going to be fascists. What can I say?” Krasner said at the town hall, according to WCAU. He then went on to trash the “Pennsylvania Legislature and its MAGA members,” according to the outlet.

“The fundamental premise of the United States is supposed to be that all people are created equal. It’s a deep belief in equality,” Krasner reportedly added. “These people don’t believe in equality at all. They don’t believe in equality of folks. They don’t believe in gender equality. They’re absolutely just as hateful towards women as they are on the issue of race. These are people who agree with Adolf Hitler.” 

At that moment, Scales stood up and yelled, “Lie!” He then added, “People like you are responsible for the death of Charlie Kirk. Stop calling them fascists,” according to WCAU.

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Scales spoke about the incident in a video on X, saying that he did not attend the meeting with the intention of disrupting the district attorney. It was only after he was told that questions at the town hall had to be written on cards “so they can be vetted and read by a moderator” that he determined the event was no more than a “publicity stunt.”

Two days later, on Sept. 18, Scales attempted to attend another one of Krasner’s town halls but was allegedly denied entry.

Krasner, a vocal Trump critic, on Thursday urged officials to condemn the alleged politicization of the Justice Department, comparing it to Watergate. 

“Justice requires evenhandedness and impartiality in order to function effectively. Sadly, Trump’s actions this week are another example of his toxic assault on constitutional norms,” Krasner said in a statement. “I invite other elected officials to speak up, especially local and state prosecutors, against this egregious politicization of the Justice Department. The ongoing assault on our democracy by the Trump administration is not normal and must be called out at every opportunity.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Scales and Krasner for comment.