Ex-President Donald Trump. Credit | REUTERS
United States – GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday opined that Iran might have been behind some recent plots to eliminate him and said that if he were the president and another country threatened the life of a US presidential candidate, it would be blown to smithereens.
Assassination Plots Under Investigation
Trump spoke Thursday at a campaign rally following when he was informed by U.S intelligence officials of “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him,” his campaign said, as reported by Reuters.
US prosecutors are investigating two alleged plots to kill the former president at his golf club in Florida in mid-September and at a rally in Pennsylvania in July. The local police and other law enforcement agencies have not indicated that Iran or any other foreign nation had any hand in either tragedy.
Trump Threatens Retaliation Against Iran
Trump said in a speech at a pipe-fittings plant in Mint Hill, North Carolina, “There have been two assassination attempts on my life that we know of, and they may or may not involve, but possibly do Iran, but I don’t really know,”
“We’ve been threatened very directly by Iran, and I think you have to let them know … you do any attacks on former presidents or candidates for president, your country gets blown to smithereens,” he said.
Trump also posed wondering why Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly, is allowed to be guarded by police in the United States.
“We have the president of Iran in our country this week, we have large security forces guarding him, and yet they’re threatening our former president and the leading candidate to become the next president — certainly a strange set of circumstances,” said Trump, who faces Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice president, in the Nov. 5 election.
Trump’s campaign stated that he would visit Butler, Pennsylvania, which is the place where an attempt was made on his life for the first time for a campaign on Oct. 5.
This was Trump’s second trip to North Carolina in under a week as polls reveal the state to be a toss-up. He conducted a campaign in two cities there early this month.
Tensions in North Carolina and GOP’s Internal Struggles
Republicans in the state are alarmed by the claims that Mark Robinson, their candidate for the governor and Trump’s loyalist, used the nickname ‘Black NAZI’ and suggested performing black people in slavery in anonymous messages on a porn platform.
Robinson has described the allegations as false and claims that he will continue with the governor’s race, causing some Republicans to question his ability to help Trump in the swinging state.
Speaking on Wednesday, Trump explained that the FBI has had challenges securing six phones, which he claimed were retrieved from the individual charged with attempting to eliminate Trump on his golf course in Florida. Ryan Routh, 58, was arrested and charged on Tuesday with attempted assassination of a political candidate.
This claim could not be immediately corroborated from Trump. The officer from the FBI stated they could not comment on the matter as it was still under investigation. It was also reported in the past that the agency was able to extract some location history of at least two of Routh’s phones. Trump demands Apple’s help to the bureau.
Alleged Meddling
Last week, US government agencies reported that hackers from Iran had targeted ordinary voters and members of then Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign team with emails containing stolen data from the Republican former President’s campaign, pointing to what appears to be more than a concerted attempt by Tehran to meddle with the U.S. election.
Persia has dismissed the excuses of the United States for social meddling in American matters. The permanent mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in New York denied to comment.
Trump’s Defiant Stance
On Wednesday, Trump asserted that he would improve the status of the United States in the international community and that his opponents are “desperate” to keep him from becoming office again, as reported by Reuters.
“This is why people in countries want to kill me. They’re not happy with me,” Trump said. “It’s a risky business. This is why they want to kill me. They only kill consequential presidents.”
