Gerardo Dangi said the attack had “brought us joy” and he described the attack as an “evil act.

“The heart has not been able to take care of everything,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m doing my very best in that.”

He said he was holding a knife “for my children to carry out this act” and that his son was not at home and the incident did not affect him.

“There was not a chance, and that is why I say it was evil in it,” Mr Dangi said.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Many people have been taking to social media to say they plan to leave Los Angeles immediately after the incident

“This is a great city and it means a lot to me so I want to give [it] to them,” he said.

Mr Dangi said the incident did not affect his plans that day.

Mr Dangi said he considered himself more liberal than Mr Trump because he would back stricter immigration policies despite his hardline stance on the issue.

“I’m against the immigration of people who don’t have their identity together and are living in different parts of the world,” he said. “We all have a responsibility to protect our land.”