Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump walks off stage after speaking during a campaign rally at Lancaster Airport on Nov. 3, 2024 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images)
During a campaign rally in Lititz on Sunday morning, former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, complained about the protective glass surrounding him on stage and pointed to an area where there was an opening, suggesting members of the news media were in the line of fire if someone took aim at him.
“I have this piece of glass here, but all we have really over here is the fake news,” Trump said, using his usual pejorative for reporters who cover his events. “And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much.”
He went on to complain that with the glass — ostensibly in place to protect the former president from another assassination attempt — “I don’t look great on television — when you have a four inch piece of glass that a howitzer can’t go through.” Trump, whose voice sounded hoarse, did not have the usual energy he does at large rallies, most of which take place in the evening.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung offered an interpretation of Trump’s remarks in a statement after the rally.
“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 said, without citing the “jokes” he referenced. “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!”
The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president criticized Trump’s 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,” Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in the statement.
The ninth commandment warns against “bearing false witness” against one’s neighbor, or lying.
“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,” Moussa said. “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 frequently complains about media coverage he perceives as unfair to him, often calling members of the media at his rallies “enemy of the people’ and “fake news,” and encouraging audiences to boo them. On Sunday he referred to reporters as “bloodsuckers,” as well. He referred to Democrats as “demonic” at the rally and told the audience he was going off the teleprompter to speak “truth.”
Trump arrived at the rally in Lititz an hour later than scheduled, and spoke for more than 90 minutes. He repeated several past grievances and false claims about election machines being hacked, and said that he preferred elections when they were called by 11 p.m. on election night. And even though the Trump campaign sued Bucks County this past week to extend its hours to allow more people to apply for mail ballots, he suggested extending hours so more people could vote was suspicious. Iowa
“They are fighting so hard to steal this damn thing. Look at what’s going on. Look at what’s going on in your state every day, talking about extending hours and stuff,” Trump said. “Whoever heard of this stuff? We should have one day voting and paper ballots.”
Trump also remarked that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after losing the election in 2020.
He complained about several recent polls, including a new one from the Des Moines Register that showed Harris leading him by four points.
The appearance in Lititz was the first of three rallies on Trump’s schedule for the penultimate day before the election. On Monday, he has rallies planned in Reading and Pittsburgh and will apparently be in Pittsburgh at the same time as Harris, who has events in Allentown, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for the final day of campaigning.
Trump and Harris have campaigned relentlessly in Pennsylvania, the key battleground state with 19 electoral votes that both need in order to have a path to the White House.
This story was originally produced by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.