Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets members of the audience after speaking at a rally at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga., Monday, Feb. 29. | AP Photo National Press Club raises alarm about Trump

The National Press Club is concerned about recent threats and attacks against journalists at Donald Trump events and issued a statement Monday urging presidential campaigns to respect the freedom of the press.

The statement comes days after Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski reportedly forcibly grabbed now-former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields as she tried to ask the GOP presidential frontrunner a question after a press conference. Trump denied the incident happened, and Lewandowski disparaged Fields on Twitter, calling her an "attention seeker" who has a history of making false claims.


"The United States should be an example for the rest of the world in how we protect the right of journalists to report," National Press Club President Thomas Burr said in the statement. "As candidates talk about freedom and rights so treasured by Americans, they should underscore that one of the most basic of those rights is the freedom of the press. And they should make sure that right is carried out in practice."

Trump's rivals have also latched onto the criticism of Trump's treatment of reporters. Ted Cruz on Monday condemned Trump, saying he treats reporters “like enemies.”

“To see a reporter physically assaulted raises real questions about how the Trump campaign treats the voters, how they treat the press how they treat protesters...they treat them like enemies,” Cruz said on Dana Loesch's radio show.

The Trump campaign has increasingly come under fire for its treatment of the media and protesters at rallies. On Saturday, a CBS reporter was arrested while covering a Trump rally in Chicago before the event was ultimately canceled amid violent protests.