Police are investigating a claim by a University of Florida student and conservative activist that he was assaulted for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and a "Trump 2016" pin on the Fourth of July.

Daniel Weldon, 22, said seven college-aged men and women surrounded him at a local restaurant in Gainesville. Weldon said several of the women pushed and punched him, and he was afraid he would be overwhelmed by the men in the group as well.

But, he said, the men calmed things down, ushering the women out of the restaurant. Some of the women supposedly screamed obscenities after the altercation outside the store window, Weldon said. Police were not called at the time but Weldon later contacted them and filed a complaint.



I just got asaulted for wearing a trump hat and pin.... — Daniel G. Weldon II 🌴☀️ (@DanWeldonFL) July 5, 2019



Weldon said in a tweet that he spoke with an officer from the Gainesville Police Department, who told him that the incident "wasn't the first time this happened" and that there was nothing they could do in response.



I go to use the rest room, and come back to one of them giving me the bird from the window 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/sRxuTDz6C2 — Daniel G. Weldon II 🌴☀️ (@DanWeldonFL) July 5, 2019



Weldon was a supporter of Sen. Marco Rubio during the Florida Republican's run for president in 2016, calling him “an incredible politician." He later cast his support for Donald Trump in the general election.

"You hear about it in the news but you never truly expect it to happen to you. I was attacked for wearing a hat in support of the president on the Fourth of July," Weldon told the Washington Examiner.

"The founding fathers fought for our right for free speech and people tried to deny that right to anyone who opposes their political beliefs. Arguably the worst part is knowing that I wasn't the first person that this happened to at my very liberal college and I won't be the last." said Weldon, who is the current chairman for the Florida Federation of College Republicans and the founder of the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Florida.

Weldon brought right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro to the University of Florida campus in spring of 2017, crediting the event as the first time a conservative speaker addressed university students in more than a decade.

Police confirmed an investigation into the battery to the Washington Examiner. Weldon provided police with a sworn statement, and a copy of the police report obtained by the Washington Examiner said Weldon told police "he verbally engaged the group by saying, 'Trump is going to win in 2020 because of people like you.' Weldon said the attacks were political prior to his statement, but after his statement Weldon said the remarks became personal like."

"Weldon said he approached a law enforcement officer after leaving Pita Pit, but was told that nothing could be done about the situation."

Gainesville Police Chief Inspector Jorge Campos told local media, "As far as the comment about there's not much that we can do, there is definitely things we can do ... we can potentially make an arrest depending on what the officer finds out."

Campos contradicted Weldon's claim that politically motivated attacks regularly take place in Gainesville, claiming that political arguments rarely amount to physical altercations.

A man who said he was the restaurant's manager told the Washington Examiner that the incident was not captured on any of the restaurant's security cameras, nor did any employees who were working at the time report an altercation. The manager said one of the cameras is pointed in the direction of the bathroom Weldon said he entered and took photos from.

He also said the restaurant has a strict policy to escort guests who instigate conflict out of the establishment. According to the manager, bouncers were once hired to do the job, but budget cuts now require regular employees to fulfill these duties. The manager lastly said they have employed a "private investigator" to help resolve the incident.

Law enforcement are checking surveillance footage for Weldon's incident, according to the police report.

Brigitta Van Meter, who claims to be a former employee of the Pita Pit, said in a series of videos on Twitter she viewed the restaurant's surveillance video and it shows an inebriated Weldon shoving people, including the girls, out of the way as he headed to the bathroom. Restaurant management confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Van Meter was fired a few months ago but is temporarily substituting at the eatery.

