Donald Trump is stirring up chaos yet again, this time by maybe threatening Hillary Clinton’s life, according to CNN. In a speech Tuesday, he said, “Hillary wants to abolish—essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.” Many listening to the speech were alarmed by this line, interpreting it as a threat—But of course, Trump defended the comment as only being a call for Second Amendment supporters to unify and vote as a group.
Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook was not happy with the comment. “This is simple—what Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to the be president of the United States should not suggest violence in any way,” he said in a statement.Â
Trump’s comment certainly sounded like a call to violence—He seemed to be talking about stopping Clinton after she was elected, for example, which would invalidate the voting argument. Even worse, the rest of his statement is innacurate. Clinton has never said that she wants to abolish the Second Amendment, but rather that she advocates for tighter gun control laws, including more detailed background checks and a ban on assault weapons, Bloomberg reports.
This is far from the first time Trump has made a comment that was ‘misinterpreted.’ General Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA, told CNN that if anyone else had been overheard making a comment like Trump’s, they would likely be questioned by the Secret Service in no time. He also pointed out that “you’re not just responsible for what you say. You are responsible for what people hear.” Hear that, Mr. Trump?
Michael Hayden on Trump: “You’re not just responsible for what you say. You are responsible for what people hear.” https://t.co/ayMW3e7c1l
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 9, 2016
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On Wednesday, an anonymous Secret Service official told CNN that the agency spoke to the Trump campaign about the comments. But then another anonymous federal official told Reuters that they had not spoken to Trump. Trump himself claims that conversation never happened.
Trump’s off-the-cuff speaking style has caused a lot of trouble during this campaign, leaving many to wonder if he really has what it takes to be the leader of the free world. Maybe he needs to stick with reading off the teleprompter.