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Donald Trump Had to Literally Get Over a Wall to Avoid Protesters in California

The irony wasn't lost on the Republican presidential frontrunner, who has notoriously called for a "big, beautiful wall" to be built along the US-Mexico border.
Photo by Michael Blood/AP

Donald Trump had to literally jump off of a wall to get around scores of protesters who crowded outside of the California Republican Convention, where he spoke on Friday afternoon.

After protesters shut down the roadway leading to the convention being held in the Bay Area city of Burlingame, Trump's motorcade was rerouted to a back entrance. Several news outlets carried a live feed as Trump, accompanied by a mass of Secret Service agents, walked along a concrete barricade and then jumped down from the wall into a grassy area before proceeding into the rear entrance of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where the convention is taking place this weekend.

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The irony was not lost on Trump, who opened his address with a joke comparing his ordeal to that of illegal immigrants entering the United States, whom he hopes to stop with what he has called "a big, beautiful wall."

"That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," he said to laughter. "We went under a fence and through a fence. It felt like I was crossing the border, actually. It's true. I was crossing the border, but I got here."

WATCH: Trump forced to jump over barrier & up small dirt hill to get in rear door of event due to protests. — CNBC Now (@CNBCnow)April 29, 2016

While the highway barricade he crossed Friday did not appear to be big, Trump did not comment on whether he thought it was beautiful.

In addition to shutting down the highway, protesters on Friday broke through a police barricade and ran up to the hotel entrance waving signs and Mexican flags and shouting slogans like "take down the wall" and "shut down Trump."

MT — The Mexico Times (@MexicoTimes)April 29, 2016

A local CBS reporter posted video to Twitter of a Trump supporter who was surrounded by protesters seeking assistance from police after he jumped over another barricade to get away from demonstrators. Protesters could be heard laughing at the man, who sported a "Make America Great Again" hat, and calling him a racist.

— Maria Medina (@mariaCBS5)April 29, 2016

Friday's protests marked the second time in 24 hours that Trump has faced big demonstrations as he makes his first campaign trip to California ahead of the state's pivotal primary on June 7. If Trump is able to clinch the Republican nomination before the party's July convention, it will be in California, the last state to vote in the Republican primaries. He currently holds a double-digit lead in polling in the state.

On Thursday night, Trump was greeted by protesters waving Mexican flags, including one that was hand-drawn with an image of Trump wearing a Hitler-style mustache. Although the GOP frontrunner's speech at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa went off without a hitch and drew thousands of supporters, outside demonstrators scuffled with Trump fans and destroyed at least one police car, jumping on it and breaking the vehicle's windows.

Follow Sarah Mimms on Twitter: @SarahMMimms