Trump talks shooting at press, ramps up election fraud claims at Pa. rally
By: NBC News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Nov. 3, 2024, 7:01 PM UTC / Updated Nov. 3, 2024, 9:06 PM UTCBy Alexandra Marquez, Jake Traylor and Jillian Frankel
Former President Donald Trump on Sundayleaned heavily into claims of election fraud andappeared to call for violence against members of the press at his rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, continuing an almost decadelong streak of attacking the media.
Speaking about the bulletproof glass positioned in front of his lectern, the former president said that for a bullet to hit him in an attempted assassination, a shooter would have to "shoot through the fake news, and I don't mind that so much."
"I have a piece of glass over here, and I don't have a piece of glass there, and I have this piece of glass here," Trump said, pointing out the glass around his lectern that has become common since he survived two assassination attempts earlier this year, one of which occurred at a similar outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pa., on Nov. 3.Evan Vucci / AP
"All we have really over here is the fake news," Trump added. "And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don't mind that so much."
Earlier in the rally, Trump also blasted the press, telling his supporters that "the media is so damn bad. It's unbelievable."
He also named several media outlets specifically, telling attendees, "It's one thing when CNN and MSNBC are crooked as hell. Look at CBS. Look what CBS did," Trump said before blasting the network for its interview last month with Vice President Kamala Harris on "Face the Nation," which he has repeatedly said was unfairly edited to paint Harris in a positive light. On Thursday, the former president sued the network, alleging that the interview with Harris was misleading.
Later in the rally, Trump said, "ABC, ABC, fake news, CBS, ABC, NBC. These are, these are, in my opinion, in my opinion, these are seriously corrupt people."
In a statement, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung defended the former president's Sunday comments, saying, "President Trump was brilliantly talking about the two assassination attempts on his own life, including one that came within 1/4 of an inch from killing him, something that the Media constantly talks and jokes about."
Cheung added, "The President's statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else. It was about threats against him that were spurred on by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats. In fact, President Trump was stating that the Media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!"
Trump's attacks are part of a longtime trend of attacking the media, which he's done publicly since his first presidential run in 2016.
Back then, he referred to members of the press as "dishonest," "not good people" and "scum" during press conferences and campaign events.
The former president's remarks on Sunday came during a long speech in which he also attacked Harris as "corrupt," called President Joe Biden "a poor, stupid guy," and blasted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama.
"I took over a mess because I took over the mess that Barack Hussein Obama [left]," Trump said at Sunday's rally, adding that Obama was a "major troublemaker," "a big divider" and "a terrible president."
Trump also told the crowd, "I think we're going to start having a little fun with Michelle. I think we're going to have a little fun with Michelle, but I always treated her with a lot of respect."
A spokesperson for the Obamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At another point in the rally, Trump said he should not have left the White House on Jan. 20, 2021, when Biden was sworn in.
"The day that I left, I shouldn't have left. I mean, honestly, because we did so, we did so well," the former president told supporters.
And at the beginning of the rally, Trump focused his remarks on criticizing the way the election has been carried out, sharpening his attacks on mail-in voting and election security at the end of a cycle where some Republicans have been advocating for early voting.
The former president launched into an extended criticism of the American election process, calling for single-day voting and paper ballots while casting doubts about Election Day and the ensuing ballot counting process.
"I just heard that a couple of states may go an extra 12 days. How the hell do you have an election? You know, they spend all of this money on these damn machines and paper ballots, you'd have the, you'd have the answer by 9 o'clock tonight. It's damn, it's a damn shame," Trump said, later arguing: "You ought to have the election over by 9 o'clock. I'm hearing now they're going to take weeks."
Trump also repeated unfounded claims of widespread election fraud in states like Pennsylvania and said the upcoming election is "all about the lawyers."
"Every polling booth has hundreds of lawyers standing there. It's all about the lawyers. Everybody, standard lawyers. Nobody should have that. You should have a damn ballot and you hand it in," the former president said.
Alexandra Marquez
Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Jake Traylor
Jake Traylor is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.
Jillian Frankel
Jillian Frankel is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.
Tags
Who is online
463 visitors
Nothing to see here, just Trump being Trump. He also said it was a mistake for him to leave office in 2021.
He's going to get a news reporter killed
Cheung added, "The President's statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else. It was about threats against him that were spurred on by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats. In fact, President Trump was stating that the Media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!"
Trump and his minions think people are stupid. In the case of many of their cultists, they are correct.
and proud of it
Never mind. They have all lost any sense of decorum. He can say anything, do anything and his plebian followers will walk out with what he "Really" meant...
Sigh, so true.....
bullshit
Donald Trump said today that he wouldnt mind if someone shot in the direction of the media at his rallies, and that he should have refused to leave office on inauguration day of 2021.
Incredibly, the ABC nightly news I was watching just breezed right through both of these.
What a disgrace the media is.
Oh, I wished that he had refused to leave office on Jan 21st 2021. He would have been cuffed and stuffed into a White House security car and hauled away because he was trespassing
[✘]
[✘]
Trump is inciting violence against the members of the press.
That's what fascists do.
From Australian Broadcasting Network- ABC NEWS
"Sometimes the outgoing president has finished their maximum two terms, and sometimes they've been defeated, but it's been a valued American tradition that the handover of power in what has been indisputably the most powerful nation on earth has happened smoothly and in public.
And then along came Donald Trump ."
"US authorities are putting in place security measures around the country that have never been seen as necessary before. The New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security had advised hundreds of concerned communities on election safety . It reported that at one election centre in Pennsylvania there had been training in "de-escalation tactics", mobile phones had been updated with panic-button software, bulletproof glass had been installed in the elec or the futuretions bureau office and bullet-resistant film had been fitted on windows.
Washington DC has been heavily fortified, making any storming of the Capitol almost impossible. But authorities are concerned about other government buildings and counting centres around the country."
Although much of the world thinks we are "rank amateurs" I am grateful we, in Australia, do live in a genuine democracy. The current outbursts about not accepting election results, and remarks of those against him as being subhuman, reminds me of Nazi Germany 1933-1945. I pray we never see the return of such in our day or the future.
There's been a lot of violence by trump supporters in many polling stations throughout the US.
You should link some of those examples to let readers know how really bad it is.
At my age, 84 I’ve seen most everything but never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would see what we in America are experiencing now. We have unfortunately returned to the day of unbridled racism and bigotry that has been right below the surface of many Americans. Trump, his MAGA followers have turned the US into what Trump has been saying, we are a shithole, yes, Trump we are and you and your followers are the cause of it.
Kav,
Congrats on making it to 84 you grizzled old bastard!
Thanks, Sparty I plan on at least 100 since I have many relatives that have reached the 100 milestone and some well beyond.
I sure hope you're around a lot longer than me
'Machete-wielding teen arrested after group accused of intimidating Democratic supporters at Florida polling station, police say'
'Texas man charged for punching election worker after asking to remove Trump hat'