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Elections

Trump says he 'shouldn’t have left' the White House, doesn't 'mind' reporters being shot at during rally

WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump said that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House in 2020 during a wide-ranging speech in Pennsylvania on Sunday morning in which he also escalated violent rhetoric toward the news media.  

“We had the safest border in the history of our country the day that I left,” Trump told supporters midway through his more than 90-minute speech, citing his endorsement from a major border patrol union.  

“I shouldn't have left,” he added, “because we did so well.” 

Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden by 74 electoral votes in the Electoral College. The Republican presidential nominee has long raised claims of voter fraud impacting that race, allegations which have all been rejected by courts across the country. Trump also faces federal criminal charges and state-level charges in Georgia over his alleged efforts to overturn the election results.  

More:Trump supporters expect election fraud and violence

Trump has not said whether he will accept the outcome of the 2024 race against Vice President Kamala Harris if he loses.  

Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 3, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

During his rally in Pennsylvania, Trump repeated unfounded claims about voter fraud and questioned common voting processes, including mail-in and early voting. 

“They are fighting so hard to steal this damn thing,” Trump said without evidence. “They're talking about extending hours ... Whoever heard of this stuff?” 

judge in Pennsylvania last week extended the deadline for voters in Bucks County to request a mail-in ballot. The ruling was in response to a Trump campaign lawsuit alleging that long lines had prevented some of the former president’s supporters from getting their ballot.  

Election officials in some other counties across the country have proposed adding additional early-morning voting hours to stem long voting lines.   

The former president during his Sunday speech also ramped up rhetoric against journalists. Trump pointed to the protective glass surrounding him and said a potential assassin would need to shoot through the news media to hit him. 

Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump is reflected in the protective glass surrounding him onstage at a campaign rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 3, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

“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,” he said.    

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said the president's comments weren't about the press, but instead about his own personal safety in light of the two assassination attempts against him earlier this year.

"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 alleged in a statement.

"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," he added.

Trump's comments come as both presidential campaigns have received criticism in recent days for heightened, and at times violent, political rhetoric. Last week, Trump suggested that rifles should be trained on former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who has endorsed Harris and become one of the former president's most vocal GOP critics. 

Biden earlier that week received blowback for appearing to call Trump supporters “garbage," though he said he was referring to racist comments a comedian made at the former president's Madison Square Garden rally.

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