Republican says Hillary Clinton could shoot a random person ‘in the heart’ and get away with it, and claims Putin links meaningful only if US gets a good deal

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Donald Trump made a half-hearted attempt to distance himself from Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, on Friday night at a rally in Florida, but aimed inflammatory comments at Iran and his political opponent Hillary Clinton.

He said Clinton could select someone in the Pensacola bay center, shoot him or her in the heart, and get away without prosecution. “She’s trigger happy,” he said. “I think she’s an unstable person.”



“She could walk into this arena right now and shoot somebody, with 20,000 people watching, right smack in the heart and still not be prosecuted,” he said.

Donald Trump and Russia: a web that grows more tangled all the time Read more

Trump has previously spoken of his own ability to “shoot somebody” and not lose any voters.

He also vowed retaliation against Iran if its vessels harassed the US Navy.

“When they circle our beautiful destroyers, with their little boats and they make gestures at our people, that they shouldn’t be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water,” he said.

His comment follows reports last month that four Iranian military vessels sped close to a US navy guided missile destroyer with their weapons uncovered in the Strait of Hormuz in an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter, according to a US defense official.

The USS Nitze shot warning flares, sounded its whistles and attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with the Iranian boats during Tuesday’s incident, the official told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.

The vessels harassed the destroyer by “conducting a high-speed intercept and closing within a short distance of Nitze, despite repeated warnings”, the official said.

On Putin, Trump struck a milder tone at the rally. “I don’t know the gentleman. He’s nice to me,” he said. “But if he’s nice to me it doesn’t mean anything unless we make some great deals for our country.”

Trump’s comments followed a series of embarrassing links to the Kremlin, including an appearance by Trump on a Russian state propaganda television channel, where Trump defended Putin and criticized US foreign policy.

Trump’s campaign later said television personality Larry King had somehow tricked the candidate into accidentally appearing on the Russian channel. But Trump’s running mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence, called Putin a “stronger leader” than Barack Obama.

“If we got along with Russia, that wouldn’t be so bad,” Trump said Friday night. And he issued a warm welcome to Russia for help in fighting Islamic State.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wait for his arrival in Pensacola. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

The crowd loved it: if Trump country has a heart, it beats in Pensacola, Florida.

Unlike southern Florida, the Panhandle is solidly Republican. It’s less pastel and more camouflage, surrounded by air force and naval bases.

The last time Trump appeared in Pensacola he booked the same arena, and filled it with about 13,000 people. He claimed at the time that his staff had turned away another 5,000 people standing outside, and he promised to return.

On Friday he packed the arena a second time.

Outside, an enormous red billboard stood over the parking lot and read, “Pensacola welcomes Trump.” In tiny lettering at the bottom it read, “Not affiliated with any campaign organization.” Trump enjoyed the sign enough to post a picture of it on Twitter.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Wow - thank you Pensacola, FL. See you Friday at 7pm -- join me!https://t.co/JCO7Za78tV pic.twitter.com/LYmpRyY0Hq

A woman who answered the phone at Bill Salter Outdoor Advertising in Milton, Florida, said Salter, who owns the board, had taken out the ad himself.

Trump supporter Dom Howard, who rode his bicycle to the rally, said of Clinton: “She doesn’t shave her arms and legs, and she’s sick. She’s going to die. She’s having seizures on TV.”

Inside, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, stepped up to the podium to warm up the crowd: “A shout out to the military families,” he started. Then “a shout out to our law enforcement professionals”, and finally “to that beautiful flag up there on the wall ... we must respect our flag.”

Rudy Giuliani emerged next and set the tone. He went after Hillary Clinton, mocking her recent interview with television host Matt Lauer.

“she should have been facing a grand jury, not Matt Lauer!” he said.

To the crowd’s delight he extolled Trump’s pledge to build up the military. “That’s why he’s not afraid to talk to Putin, because he can negotiate from strength,” Giuliani said.

It appears to make little political sense for Trump to campaign in his most devoted quarter, at this point in the race. Most candidates, traditionally, would be drumming up votes in areas more likely swing blue or red — Iowa, or Ohio, or even other parts of Florida.

But Trump’s methods continue to defy political gravity. Since his foray last week into truly oppositional and voteless territory – across the border to Mexico – his poll numbers have steadily risen, and they now show him nearly even with Clinton.

One group of supporters did not make a return to Friday’s rally: the singing, dancing girl group called Freedom Kids. Their song during his last visit to Pensacola became a hit on social media, with lyrics including:

Enemies of freedom Face the music – come on boys, take ’em down! President Donald Trump knows how to make America great Deal from strength or get crushed every time

But now the group’s manager and one girl’s father, Jeff Popick, allege Trump “played” the girls and didn’t pay them. Last week he filed suit against the campaign, seeking $5,000 to $15,000.

The Trump camp has not responded publicly to the suit, but it has 20 days from the receiving it to respond, according to the girls’ lawyer.