President Trump said Thursday the antifa members who assaulted conservative journalist Andy Ngo recently are too cowardly to confront burly bikers and construction workers who support the president.

Speaking at a White House event for conservative social media leaders, the president referred to Mr. Ngo as the “young man who just got slugged viciously” by antifa members during a protest in Portland, Oregon.

“Do you ever notice they [Antifa] pick on certain people?” Mr. Trump asked. “I mean, he [Mr. Ngo] would tell you he’s not the toughest person in the world physically, right?”

“They don’t go after ‘Bikers for Trump,’ ” Mr. Trump continued. “They don’t go after our construction workers who love us. They don’t go after the police. They live, like, in the basement of their mom’s home. Their arms are this big [skinny].”

A contributor for Quillette who covers antifa, Mr. Ngo was seen on video being punched, clubbed, kicked and doused with a milkshake by bat-wielding antifa members. Mr. Ngo’s attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, spoke at the White House event.

Several people were arrested during the protests, but Ms. Dhillon said those responsible for the attack on Mr. Ngo have not been charged. She said she plans to sue the city.

Mr. Trump said of the antifa assailants, “They have the masks on and they have sticks and they hit people. They hit people in the face, in the head. But did you ever notice antifa is never there when we have a bikers rally?”

To appreciative laughter, the president said, “They are never there when the construction workers and the unions are honoring the president. There are never around. They’re always there when you have a single guy protesting in front of a school.”

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