Birmingham, Alabama (CNN) Donald Trump suggested Sunday the half-dozen white attendees at his campaign rally on Saturday may have reacted appropriately when they shoved, tackled, punched and kicked a black protester who disrupted his speech.

"Maybe he should have been roughed up because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing," Trump said Sunday morning on Fox News, less than 24 hours after his campaign said it "does not condone" the physical altercation.

Trump was not asked by the Fox News hosts about the comments made by his campaign.

Trump is joined by his family as he is sworn in as President on January 20.

Trump is joined by his family as he is sworn in as President on January 20.

Trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on November 9. "Ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in New York.

Trump walks on stage with his family after he was declared the election winner on November 9. "Ours was not a campaign, but rather, an incredible and great movement," he told his supporters in New York.

Trump apologizes in a video, posted to his Twitter account in October, for vulgar and sexually aggressive remarks he made a decade ago regarding women. "I said it, I was wrong and I apologize," Trump said, referring to lewd comments he made during a previously unaired taping of "Access Hollywood." Multiple Republican leaders rescinded their endorsements of Trump after the footage was released.

Trump faces Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the first presidential debate, which took place in Hempstead, New York, in September.

Trump delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, accepting the party's nomination for President. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people."

Trump delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in July, accepting the party's nomination for President. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people."

Trump speaks during a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana, on April 28. After Trump won the Indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the GOP race.

Trump speaks during a campaign event in Evansville, Indiana, on April 28. After Trump won the Indiana primary, his last two competitors dropped out of the GOP race.

The Trump family poses for a photo in New York in April.

The Trump family poses for a photo in New York in April.

Trump -- flanked by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, left, and Ted Cruz -- speaks during a CNN debate in Miami on March 10. Trump dominated the GOP primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in May.

Trump -- flanked by U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, left, and Ted Cruz -- speaks during a CNN debate in Miami on March 10. Trump dominated the GOP primaries and emerged as the presumptive nominee in May.

Trump appears on stage with singer Nick Jonas and television personality Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant.

Trump appears on stage with singer Nick Jonas and television personality Giuliana Rancic during the 2013 Miss USA pageant.

Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was shortly before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa.

Trump speaks in Sarasota, Florida, after accepting the Statesman of the Year Award at the Sarasota GOP dinner in August 2012. It was shortly before the Republican National Convention in nearby Tampa.

In 2012, Trump announces his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

In 2012, Trump announces his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Trump poses with Miss Universe contestants in 2011. Trump had been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996.

Trump poses with Miss Universe contestants in 2011. Trump had been executive producer of the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants since 1996.

Trump appears on the set of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with two of his children -- Donald Jr. and Ivanka -- in 2009.

Trump appears on the set of "The Celebrity Apprentice" with two of his children -- Donald Jr. and Ivanka -- in 2009.

For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007.

For "The Apprentice," Trump was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2007.

Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon.

Trump wrestles with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania in 2007. Trump has close ties with the WWE and its CEO, Vince McMahon.

Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005.

Trump attends the U.S. Open tennis tournament with his third wife, Melania Knauss-Trump, and their son, Barron, in 2006. Trump and Knauss married in 2005.

Trump attends a news conference in 2005 that announced the establishment of Trump University. From 2005 until it closed in 2010, Trump University had about 10,000 people sign up for a program that promised success in real estate. Three separate lawsuits -- two class-action suits filed in California and one filed by New York's attorney general -- argued that the program was mired in fraud and deception. Trump's camp rejected the suits' claims as "baseless." And Trump has charged that the New York case against him is politically motivated.

A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004.

A 12-inch talking Trump doll is on display at a toy store in New York in September 2004.

An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Tower in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice."

An advertisement for the television show "The Apprentice" hangs at Trump Tower in 2004. The show launched in January of that year. In January 2008, the show returned as "Celebrity Apprentice."

Trump putts a golf ball in his New York office in 1998.

Trump putts a golf ball in his New York office in 1998.

Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, Tiffany.

Trump dips his second wife, Marla Maples, after the couple married in a private ceremony in New York in December 1993. The couple divorced in 1999 and had one daughter together, Tiffany.

Trump and singer Michael Jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit Ryan White, a young child with AIDS, in 1990.

Trump and singer Michael Jackson pose for a photo before traveling to visit Ryan White, a young child with AIDS, in 1990.

Trump signs his second book, "Trump: Surviving at the Top," in 1990. Trump has published at least 16 other books, including "The Art of the Deal" and "The America We Deserve."

Trump attends the opening of his new Atlantic City casino, the Taj Mahal, in 1989.

Trump attends the opening of his new Atlantic City casino, the Taj Mahal, in 1989.

Trump stands in the atrium of the Trump Tower.

Trump stands in the atrium of the Trump Tower.

Trump uses his personal helicopter to get around New York in 1987.

Trump uses his personal helicopter to get around New York in 1987.

Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

Trump was married to Ivana Zelnicek Trump from 1977 to 1990, when they divorced. They had three children together: Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric.

Trump wears a hard hat at the Trump Tower construction site in New York in 1980.

Trump wears a hard hat at the Trump Tower construction site in New York in 1980.

Trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the New York Convention Center in 1979.

Trump attends an event to mark the start of construction of the New York Convention Center in 1979.

Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating college in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City.

Trump stands with Alfred Eisenpreis, New York's economic development administrator, in 1976 while they look at a sketch of a new 1,400-room renovation project of the Commodore Hotel. After graduating college in 1968, Trump worked with his father on developments in Queens and Brooklyn before purchasing or building multiple properties in New York and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those properties included Trump Tower in New York and Trump Plaza and multiple casinos in Atlantic City.

Trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the New York Military Academy in 1964. After he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. He started at Fordham University before transferring and later graduating from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school.

Trump, center, wears a baseball uniform at the New York Military Academy in 1964. After he graduated from the boarding school, he went to college. He started at Fordham University before transferring and later graduating from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school.

Trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the New York Military Academy in 1964.

Trump, center, stands at attention during his senior year at the New York Military Academy in 1964.

Trump, left, in a family photo. He was the second-youngest of five children.

Trump, left, in a family photo. He was the second-youngest of five children.

Trump at age 4. He was born in 1946 to Fred and Mary Trump in New York City. His father was a real estate developer.

Trump at age 4. He was born in 1946 to Fred and Mary Trump in New York City. His father was a real estate developer.

President-elect Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From developing real estate and producing and starring in TV shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the White House.

President-elect Donald Trump has been in the spotlight for years. From developing real estate and producing and starring in TV shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the White House.

The protester, 31-year-old Black Lives Matter activist Mercutio Southall, said the attendees who attacked him also called him and two fellow protestors "monkeys" and the N-word. He told CNN he was "swarmed" by attendees at the Trump event after he and the others began chanting "Dump the Trump" and "Black Lives Matter" during the Republican front-runner's speech to several thousand supporters.

The slurs cannot be heard on the video CNN recorded of the incident, and the network was unable to independently confirm them.

Trump had warned in August after Black Lives Matter activists disrupted a Bernie Sanders campaign event that if the movement's activists protested one of his events, they would have a fight on their hands.

"That will never happen with me," Trump said after Sanders , a Democratic presidential candidate, let Black Lives Matter activists take over one of his events.

"I don't know if I'll do the fighting myself, or if other people will," Trump said then.

JUST WATCHED Protester kicked out of Trump rally after altercation Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Protester kicked out of Trump rally after altercation 01:47

As Southall took blows on Saturday, Trump tried to press on with his stump speech, but paused to remark at the apparent disruption and said, "Get 'em the hell out of here."

Southall, who said his grandparents crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, compared the experience to facing a "lynch mob."

"I got punched in the face, I got punched in the neck. I got kicked in the chest. Kicked in the stomach. Somebody stepped on my hand," Southall said, describing his injuries in a phone call with CNN late Saturday.

Southall said the man in a blue-checkered shirt who appears to take a fighting stance in CNN's video of the altercation also choked him while he was on the ground. Southall said the choking only stopped when he punched the man in the groin.

A woman in the video can be heard shouting, "Don't choke him, don't choke him, don't choke him."

Southall and two other activists, including Carlos Havers of the National Action Network, entered the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex with tickets to Trump's rally after police outside the event moved their planned protest with a dozen other activists away from the entrance to the campaign event.

The plan, Southall and Havers said, was to protest the rhetoric Trump engages in on the campaign trail -- rhetoric that the two believe incited the violence they faced on Saturday.

Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Many people on the Internet decided that GOP candidate Donald Trump is the most expressive person running for president. Here's a look at his many facial expressions: Hide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks about illegal immigration July 10 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks to guests gathered for a campaign event at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on August 25. Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump visits his Scottish golf course Turnberry on July 30. Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump speaks during a rally August 21 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Hide Caption 5 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump eats a pork chop on a stick while attending the Iowa State Fair on August 15. Hide Caption 6 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump flashes a thumbs-up as he arrives for the start of the first presidential debate August 6 in Cleveland. Hide Caption 7 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump participates in the Republican debate in Cleveland. Hide Caption 8 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump arrives for jury duty in New York on August 17. Hide Caption 9 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump walks his Turnberry golf course on July 30. Hide Caption 10 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump at Turnberry on July 30. Hide Caption 11 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump talks to the media in Laredo, Texas, during a trip to the Mexico border on July 23. Hide Caption 12 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump greets onlookers after taping an interview with Anderson Cooper at a Trump-owned building in New York on July 22. Hide Caption 13 of 14 Photos: The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Trump exits New York Supreme Court after jury duty on August 17. Hide Caption 14 of 14

"When you have a candidate going around spewing hatred and racism, that's to be expected," Havers said of the physical altercation. "He was really inciting the entire thing."

Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN on Saturday that "the campaign does not condone this behavior."

She declined to elaborate on Trump's reaction to the confrontation.

It is unlikely Trump could see the confrontation unfold from his vantage point on the stage, but was reacting to the apparent presence of protesters.

Still, Southall and Havers said they hold Trump responsible for how they were treated at the campaign event.

"He does condone it because he was the one saying, 'Yeah, get them out of here.' He was the one telling the supporters to do what they needed to to get them out of here," Havers said. "We want an apology from Donald Trump himself. We want him to sit down with us and explain why he did what he did and why's he's going around the country spewing hatred and racism."

Southall said he intends to press charges against those who assaulted him at the event, and said the police officers who escorted him out of the event at no point asked him if he wished to do so. He also said they did not offer medical attention.

"They were too busy trying to get me the f--- out of there. They weren't trying to be nothing but just getting me the f--- out of there. That was their whole concern," Southall said of the police officers who escorted him out of the event several minutes into the altercation between Southall and the half-dozen attendees.

Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards, the department's public information officer, told CNN on Saturday that Southall did not require medical attention and did not ask to press charges.

Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators chant during a rally in downtown Manhattan on December 13. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Police arrest a "Black Lives Matter" protester on Saturday, December 20, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Invoking the familiar names of blacks who died at the hands of police, including Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, thousands have taken part in protests across the country calling for a more aggressive federal response to recent slayings by police. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Thousands of protesters fill the Mall of America in Bloomington on Saturday, December 20. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Police line up to move the protesters from out of the mall on December 20 in Bloomington. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Mikela Mosley speaks out in front of a line of police during a demonstration on Saturday, December 13, in Oakland, California. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A protester is arrested at a demonstration on December 13 in Oakland. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators march over the inbound lane of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters stage a "die-in" during a march in Chicago on December 13. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Demonstrators face off with police during a march in Chicago on December 13. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters march through the streets of Oakland on December 13. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters gather at the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland on December 13. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A demonstrator marches in New York on December 13 during the "Justice for All" rally. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests The protest moves down Sixth Avenue in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A woman marches down 14th Street in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests From left, Samaira Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice; Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown Jr.; the Rev. Al Sharpton and Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown Jr, raise their hands in the air during the "Justice For All" march and rally through Washington on December 13. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters fill the street as they gather for a march on December 13 in Washington. Hide Caption 16 of 16

Edwards said the department tried to contact him later Saturday at several numbers but could not reach him.

Edwards said his officers "didn't see" the violent confrontation take place, but said Southall is welcome to file a police report and press charges.

"I would be a little cautious with Mercutio Southall," Edwards added. "He has been an agitator from day one. Mercutio is always the agitator."

Speaking on the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly touted his strong relationship with minorities, from Hispanics to African-Americans -- noting that he is assured victory in the general election if he can win the African-American vote.

But Trump's controversial comments about racial and religious minorities -- from Hispanics to, more recently, Muslims -- have strained his relationship with people of color.

Trump kicked off his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally "criminals" and "rapists" and lately has said he would either shut down or launch surveillance operations targeting mosques, and has appeared open to establishing a database for all Muslims in the U.S.

Southall, a father to three sons, said he was disheartened by the experience and said he hoped publicity around the incident could help serve as a wake-up call in a country that he said has ignored racial divides for far too long.

"This is the ugly truth of America. It was there like literally and figuratively in black and white. We saw it. We see it daily," Southall said. "It shows what kind of America we live in now and what kind of America it will be with Trump at the helm."