CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Stunned By Trump Fans Laughing At ‘Shoot Through’ Media Rant — And Trump Campaign’s Cleanup Effort
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins was stunned by Trump fans laughing at former President Donald Trump’s crack about a would-be assassin having to “shoot through” the media — and the Trump campaign’s audacious explanation.
With only hours to go before Election Day, the dominant storyline is the bombshell Des Moines Register poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Trump in Iowa, a state he won twice in overwhelming fashion. The DMR poll, overseen by pollster Ann Selzer, is considered the “Gold Standard” Iowa poll.
But Trump’s rally antics are never far from the headlines, as was the case when he told an approving crowd at a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania that “to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much.”
A Trump spokesman put out a statement claiming that ” 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!”
On Sunday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins opened her special election show with a rundown of the weekend’s events, including Trump’s remark and his campaign’s eyebrow-raising attempt to clean it up:
These new numbers that we’re seeing may be what’s driving what we’re hearing on the campaign trail, but Trump basically creating doubt about the fairness of Tuesday’s election and sure sounding like he’s laying the groundwork to contest it if he loses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP: we had the safest border in the history of our country the day that I left. I shouldn’t have left, I mean, honestly, because we did so well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Trump saying he shouldn’t have left the White House. He did, of course, but just barely. For people who might hear that and say, well, he’s not being serious, remember, four years ago, Maggie Haberman reported that Trump was telling people, quote, I’m just not going to leave.
Here’s how Vice President Harris responded to that comment from Trump today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VP KAMALA HARRIS: I would ask in particular people who have not yet voted to not fall for his tactic.
In 2020, he lost. And the systems that are in place for this election in 2024 have integrity. They are good systems and the vote of the people will determine the outcome of this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: You hear Harris there talking about the fairness of what’s expected to happen on Tuesday night.
What Trump said today on the campaign trail, though, about the election was far from the only dark comment that we heard. He also called Democrats, quote, demonic and mused about violence against members of the press who are covering him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I have a piece of glass over here and I don’t have a piece of glass there. And I have this piece of glass here. But all we have really over here is the fake news, right?
And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news, and I don’t mind that so much because — I don’t mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: It’s remarkable to hear the laughter in the background about those comments.
I should note, the Trump campaign later claimed that what he said there, what you just heard for yourself, had, quote, nothing to do with the media being harmed, but rather, I’m quoting his spokesperson now, actually looking out for their welfare.
Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
