William Cummings

USA TODAY

That's one way to try to steer the conversation from the birther issue.

Donald Trump said that Hillary Clinton's "bodyguards" should disarm themselves because Clinton supports gun control during a rally in Miami on Friday. He has made similar remarks in the past, but this time took it a little further.

"Take their guns away," Trump said. "She doesn't want guns. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. It would be very dangerous."

Trump told the crowd of supporters that Clinton "wants to destroy your Second Amendment" and that "she goes around with armed bodyguards like you have never seen before."

While Clinton has spoken in favor of greater gun control measures, she has repeatedly said she does not favor a repeal of the Second Amendment.

Presumably, the bodyguards Trump refers to are her Secret Service detail. Trump did not mention that as the Republican nominee, he too is provided Secret Service protection.

Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook, called the Republican candidate's comment "out of bounds" in a statement Friday, and said Trump "has a pattern of inciting people to violence."

"Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief," Mook wrote. "He is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behavior in their nominee."

Clinton's press secretary Brian Fallon echoed Mook's sentiment in a tweet.

Fallon also tweeted that either Trump campaign manager Kellyane Conway thought assassination jokes were a good idea, or Trump was "off his leash."

This wasn't the first time Trump drew heavy criticism for a perceived assassination comment. At an August rally in North Carolina, he seemed to suggest that armed citizens could stop a hypothetical president Clinton from putting justices who favor gun control on the Supreme Court.

During the speech in Miami, Trump also said that if he were elected he would reverse President Obama's efforts to normalize relations with Cuba "unless the Castro regime meets our demands."

This appears to reflect a shift in Trump's position on the issue. A year ago, Trump told The Daily Caller that "50 years is enough" and opening relations with Cuba was "fine" but "we should have made a better deal."

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