Waving U.S. flags and wearing “Make America Great Again” gear, dozens of people, mostly white men, came together Wednesday for a rally to celebrate the president ahead of his military-themed Independence Day event on the National Mall. And then there was Bruce, a homeless man who regularly hangs out near the White House and loudly condemns the president.

WASHINGTON ― On the eve of the Fourth of July, President Donald Trump ’s supporters gathered outside the White House and behaved just as he would have liked: They screamed at, cursed out and physically intimidated one of his critics.

Jennifer Bendery/HuffPost President Donald Trump's supporters are descending on Washington, D.C., for his Independence Day event, with some packing in extra time to gang up on a homeless man.

The yelling went on for at least 10 minutes. It was tense. One Trump supporter got in Bruce’s face and shoved him back with his shoulder. Someone threw a plastic bottle at Bruce. Even with Secret Service officers nearby, it was a bit scary, especially since Bruce was outnumbered by men who seemed worked up enough to throw a punch.

“You can’t knock him out without going to jail,” Pennington growled to bystanders, walking away.

Somehow it just sort of dissipated on its own. Maybe all the shouting men got it out of their system. Maybe the black woman who suddenly appeared and inserted herself between Bruce and the angry mob eased the tension. Trump’s supporters regrouped about 40 feet away, and Bruce eased up with his shouting, though he didn’t leave.

And then everyone carried on as if nothing had just happened.

“I feel like I’m amidst jackals who don’t speak English,” Bruce, 60, said later as rally attendees sang “Happy Birthday” toward the White House, presumably referring to America’s birthday. “I’ve never met Trump supporters who do not run away from facts. We need to save our country, but this is not the path to go. This is the path to extinction.”

“He’s a traitor,” Pennington, 53, said of Bruce.

Pennington, dressed in a T-shirt with the words “F*ck off, we’re full” over an image of the United States ― “it means we don’t need no more illegal immigrants” ― said he came to D.C. because Trump invited him to his July Fourth event, which will feature tanks on display and includes a ticketed VIP section for Trump’s friends, family and Republican donors.

Asked if he meant he was invited to the president’s VIP event, versus just attending the public festivities, Pennington laughed.

“I wish,” he said. “We’re going to be walking around like everyone else.”

“We’re here for Trump,” added his wife, Carrie, who was carrying a U.S. flag and wearing a shirt that said “Adorable deplorable for Trump” in hot pink. “He said he was going to be here. He wanted patriots to show up. Here we are.”