During a much looser rally in Miami on Friday night, Donald Trump, veering way off his scripted remarks, seemed to make another veiled threat against his opponent Hillary Clinton.
In a long exchange about Second Amendment rights, which he falsely claims Clinton will take away, Trump repeated a past suggestion that the candidate lose her Secret Service protection (he has the exact same service).
“I think her bodyguards should drop all weapons,” Trump said. “They should disarm immediately. Take their guns away, let’s see what happens to her.”
“Crooked Hillary wants to get rid of all guns and yet she is surrounded by bodyguards who are fully armed,” Trump continued. “No more guns to protect Hillary!”
While it was not entirely clear what Trump meant with the remarks themselves, he has made not-so-subtle similar remarks in the past, including one egregious example in which he suggested that “Second Amendment people” could potentially do something about liberal Supreme Court justices and/or Clinton as president.
“By the way, if she gets to pick her judges,” Trump said at an August rally. “Nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.”
This was his first campaign event after making a mockery of an announcement at his Washington, D.C., hotel during which he attempted to walk back his pervasive “birther” claims.
—Gideon Resnick