Trump raises theory that Iran was responsible for assassination

Former President Donald Trump suggested without evidence on Wednesday that Iran may be responsible for two apparent assassination attempts against him this year and said foreign leaders opposed his stance on tariffs.

Authorities have not issued public statements to back up claims that two would-be assassins in July in Butler, Pa., and near Trump’s Florida home this month were aided by foreign agents or anyone else. Trump linked both incidents to separate hacks of his campaign, U.S. intelligence agency says was conducted by Iran.

“As far as we know, there have been two assassination attempts in my lifetime,” Republican presidential candidate Trump said during a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina. “They may or may not involve — but they may involve — Iran, but I really don’t know.”

Trump also published his theory on .

The Trump campaign told USA TODAY A statement on Tuesday night “Earlier today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed President Trump of real and specific assassination threats from Iran aimed at destabilizing and sowing chaos in the United States.”

“USA Today” also stated that a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) acknowledged that a briefing had been conducted, but did not provide specific content.

In a speech in North Carolina, Trump thanked members of Congress from both parties for approving more funding for the U.S. Secret Service, but added that if he were president, he would do so in the strongest possible terms when foreign countries threaten a presidential candidate. revenge.

“So I thank everyone in Congress,” he said. “But if I were president, I would inform the threatening nation, which is Iran, that if you do anything to harm this man, we are going to blow your largest city and the country itself to smithereens. We are going to blow it to smithereens.

The gunman is Pennsylvania shootingThomas Crooks was shot dead on the spot by law enforcement officers. In the second case, Florida’s Ryan Wesley Routh Charged Tuesday Attempt to assassinate Trump.

During his hour-long speech, Trump focused some attention on economic issues, saying he was being targeted by foreign governments because of his plans to expand tariffs, or taxes on imported goods.

“I’m imposing tariffs on competitors from foreign countries, all of which are ripping us off, who stole all your businesses and all your jobs years ago and took your businesses away from you,” he said. “That’s why people in some countries want to kill me. They’re not happy with me. It’s true – it’s a risky thing. That’s why they want to kill me.

Trump also said He would set a 15% tax rate on companies that produce goods domestically. He said such low rates, coupled with tariffs on foreign goods, would boost U.S. manufacturing, including furniture production, once a major industry in North Carolina.

Tariffs typically lead to higher prices, which has plagued consumers since 2020.

pennsylvania harris

Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris painted a more optimistic picture of the current state and future of the U.S. economy in an economic-focused speech Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Harris acknowledged that prices are still too high.

“You know it and I know it,” she said, according to the pool report.

Harris said her economic focus is on the middle class, in contrast to what she said was Trump’s preference for the wealthy.

She said she would encourage innovation by promoting research on a range of technologies from biofabrication to artificial intelligence and blockchain, and said her presidency would include trying different strategies.

“As president, I will be grounded in the fundamental values ​​of fairness, dignity and opportunity,” she said. “I assure you that I will be pragmatic in my approach. I will conduct what Franklin Roosevelt called a bold and lasting experiment.

Republicans blame immigration

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, parlayed their nativist immigration stance into economic-themed speeches during campaign appearances on Wednesday. Both said illegal immigrants were responsible for declining employment and wages among U.S.-born workers.

“These jobs are going to go to illegal immigrants who are in our country illegally,” Trump said in North Carolina. “Our black population, our Hispanic population across the country are losing their jobs. They are American citizens, they are losing their jobs.

Vance, who touted the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ decision not to endorse the presidential bid in a conference call earlier Wednesday and with an internal electronic poll showing a majority of members supporting the Republican race, said organized labor has long sought Protect American workers from immigrants.

“The American labor movement has always recognized that illegal labor undercuts the wages of American workers,” Vance said by phone. “These individuals compete with U.S. citizens and legal residents for essential jobs and drive down their wages in the process.”

Vance said all net job growth under Harris and President Joe Biden has gone to foreign workers, including “25 million” illegal immigrants in the country, without citing sources.

Official estimates put the number of immigrants living in the country without authorization at about 11 million, less than half of what Vance claimed.

A Republican campaign spokesman did not respond substantively to questions about the origins of Vance’s statement that foreign-born workers accounted for all job growth during the Biden administration.

Trump returns to Butler

Trump said on Wednesday he will return to butlerPennsylvania, the site of the first assassination attempt against him. The former president suffered an ear injury during a shooting that left one rallygoer dead and two others injured.

“We’re going back to finish our speech,” he said in North Carolina.

bipartisanship U.S. Senate midterm report The U.S. Secret Service failed to adequately plan to secure the outdoor rally and made communication errors that allowed a gunman to open fire on the former president, a preliminary conclusion released Wednesday said.

The report was commissioned by Michigan Democratic U.S. Senator Gary Peters. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky; Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut; and Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. They serve as chairs and ranking members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the panel’s Investigations Subcommittee.