Former President Donald Trump railed against the gaps between large panes of bulletproof glass surrounding him during a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania Sunday, and mused that a prospective assassin would have to shoot through the media to get to him.
“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, but all we have really over here is the fake news,” Trump, 78, said in a raspy voice while motioning at the gap in the glass.
“To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind that.”
Rally attendees were heard laughing in the background as Trump performed what he likes to describe as “the weave” in which he meanders from thought to thought.
Shortly after his remarks, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung claimed that his boss was merely looking out for the wellbeing of the press.
“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,” Cheung said in a statement.
“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!”
Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa quickly rebuked Trump over the remarks.
“As Vice President Harris spent today at church in Detroit, talking to voters about her vision to lift up all Americans, Donald Trump was busy violating the Ninth Commandment.
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“Trump is spending the closing days of his campaign angry and unhinged, lying about the election being stolen because he’s worried he will lose. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth and will walk into the Oval Office focused on them – that’s Vice President Harris.”
Trump has long assailed the media at his rallies, disparaging them as “the fake news.” On Sunday, he ripped the press as “bloodsuckers.”
Ever since the assassination attempt against him during his July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., the Secret Service has established caches of bulletproof glass in states across the country.
During his outdoor rallies, Trump is now surrounded by bulletproof glass at his podium as a safety precaution.
While complaining about the gap in the glass, Trump also whined that it ruins his image during broadcasts of his rallies.
“The problem is, when you watch me tonight, you’ll say, ‘the president doesn’t look that good.’ Well, how the hell do you look good? Look at the size of this sucker,” Trump exclaimed.
Later on in his speech, a car horn was heard blaring in the background, prompting another “weave” from the 45th president.
“Do you hear that? It’s right in the field where you might have a sniper. And I have no glass here,” Trump said gesturing toward the gap in the glass around him. “I have glass here. There’s nothing over there.”
“I’m hearing that horn. That could be any minute now. What the hell do I know? I must be wrong,” he said. “It probably was Biden or the other one that said screw em’ don’t give him the glass.”
