US elections: Wouldn’t mind if someone shot through ‘fake news’ to get me, says Trump – CNBC TV18

Former US president and Republican nominee Donald Trump expressed his frustration with the media during a rally on Sunday (November 3) suggesting that if someone were to attempt an assassination, they would have to shoot through the “fake news” surrounding him and said, “I don’t mind that so much.”

In a 90-minute address just two days prior to the US presidential election, Trump pointed out the gaps in the bullet-proof glass that protected him, noting that some journalists had a clear line of sight through these openings. This comes after the former president survived two assassination attempts this year, one of which saw him being grazed by a bullet at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

As he surveyed the gaps, Trump commented, “To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much.” His rhetoric has escalated in intensity during the final weeks of the campaign. Following Trump’s suggestion that former congresswoman Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, should face gunfire, Arizona’s top prosecutor announced an investigation.

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He shared a post on X which compared his inauguration day, with that of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

pic.twitter.com/WdmEhpHDeA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2024

In response to the media remarks, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung clarified that Trump was concerned about the safety of journalists. “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,” the statement read.

Much of Trump’s speech was dedicated to attacking the media, where he pointed at TV cameras and labelled major networks as “fake news”. He stated, “ABC, it’s ABC, fake news, CBS, ABC, NBC. These are, in my opinion, seriously corrupt people,” Reuters quoted Trump as saying.

(With inputs from Reuters)