Donald Trump mistook a black supporter for a protester and called him a “thug”

“We have a protester! By the way, were you paid $1,500 to be a thug?”

That was Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addressing a black man in the crowd of a Kinston, North Carolina, rally Wednesday night, according to the Raleigh’s News & Observer.

Using that slur would have been in pretty bad taste (not to mention arguably racist) in any case, but what makes it especially embarrassing for Trump is that the person he was yelling at — whom he ultimately had removed from the event — turned out to be a supporter.

C.J. Carry, who’s African-American, told the Observer that he supports Trump and wants to encourage him to be inclusive of black people, women, people with disabilities, and college students.

And no, he’s not a protester who claimed to be a supporter to make his treatment look worse. He’s on the record as a fan. “I support Trump because he's honest,” the 62-year-old former Marine is quoted as saying in a July interview with the Rocky Mount Telegram. “You can work with an honest person and convince them their vision isn't in the best interest of everyone. You can't work with dishonest people. “

Carry had brought a note about his ideas for the campaign to the rally and was about 20 to 30 feet from the stage, waving it, when Trump began lambasting him.

“You can get him out. Get him out,” Trump can he heard saying.

“He entirely mistook that and thought that I was a protester,” Cary said.

Wonder why.

Recent polling puts Trump's African-American support at 5.6 percent, compared with Clinton's at 84 percent, CNBC reports.

Watch the video at the News & Observer.

(h/t Slate)