Trump jokes sniper would need to 'shoot through the fake news' to reach him

Former President Donald Trump made headlines Sunday at a rally in Pennsylvania when he joked that a would-be sniper would “have to shoot through the fake news” to reach him. 

Speaking in Lititz, Trump, who has faced two assassination attempts on the campaign trail, commented on the gaps in his bulletproof glass protection, gesturing to the media stationed nearby. 

“I have a piece of glass here, but all we have really over here is the fake news,” he said with a chuckle. “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.”

The rally attendees responded with laughter as Trump continued his remarks. He then expressed some frustration about the aesthetics of the protective glass, stating, “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’s communications director, Steven Cheung, later clarified that the comment was about the protection, saying that “President Trump was stating that the Media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves.”

Kamala Harris’ campaign spokesperson, Ammar Moussa, criticized Trump’s remarks, contrasting them with Harris’s campaign events, saying, “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’s rhetoric about “fake news” and media “bloodsuckers” is longstanding, and security measures have only increased at his outdoor events since an assassination attempt during a July rally in Pennsylvania.