The Donald Trump campaign offered an explanation of an allusion the GOP nominee made to “the Second Amendment people” preventing Hillary Clinton from appointing Supreme Court justices — a line widely interpreted to be a reference to assassination — by arguing that Trump actually meant that the political power of Second Amendment supporters would stop Clinton.
“It’s called the power of unification – 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power. And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump,” Jason Miller, Trump’s senior communications advisor, said in a statement to reporters Tuesday.
The statement was titled: “Trump Campaign Statement On Dishonest Media.”
At a campaign rally in North Carolina Tuesday, Trump warned attendees of the types of judges Clinton would pick if she was elected.
“If she gets to pick her judges,” Trump said, “nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is.”
The Clinton campaign, meanwhile, in a statement from campaign manager Robby Mook, called Trump’s remark “dangerous.”
“A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way,” Mook said.
The National Rifle Association, via Twitter, promoted an interpretation of Trump’s comments that suggests a reference to the election, rather than to an assassination attempt.
.@RealDonaldTrump is right. If @HillaryClinton gets to pick her anti-#2A #SCOTUS judges, there’s nothing we can do. #NeverHillary
— NRA (@NRA) August 9, 2016
But there IS something we will do on #ElectionDay: Show up and vote for the #2A! #DefendtheSecond #NeverHillary
— NRA (@NRA) August 9, 2016
