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U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump expressed that he would be indifferent if someone attempting to assassinate him ended up shooting the “fake news” reporters covering his events instead.
Trump, who has had a longstanding dispute with major American news outlets, already survived one assassination attempt during the campaign. Earlier this year, authorities arrested a pro-Ukraine activist suspected of planning to target him near his golf course.
At a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania on Sunday, just two days before the US election, Trump commented on the gaps present in the panes of bullet-proof glass surrounding him. He pointed out that some reporters were able to see through one of these openings during his speech.
“I’ve got a piece of glass here, but I don’t have one there,” Trump remarked. “What we do have over here is the fake news. And for anyone to get me, they’d need to shoot through that fake news first. To be honest, I’m not too bothered by it—not at all,” he added, prompting laughter from the audience.
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During the same rally, Trump characterized news organizations as being comprised of “seriously corrupt people.” He specifically mentioned ABC, CBS, and NBC. Speaking to his supporters, he remarked that “the media is so damn bad. It’s unbelievable.”
In response to online criticism, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung clarified that the Republican nominee’s comments were “not related to any harm against the media or anything of that nature.”
“It was concerning the threats directed at him, which were incited by perilous rhetoric from Democrats,” Cheung stated. He argued that Trump intended to emphasize that journalists covering him “should have also had a protective glass barrier.”
In July, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when a gunman opened fire during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Another potential assassin was arrested in September after being found with a rifle at Trump’s golf course in Florida.
Trump has frequently claimed that media organizations are biased and have misrepresented him and his presidential record. He has also faced allegations of incitement, with the latest criticism stemming from his description of political opponents as the “enemy from within.”
