Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed the Iranian assassination plot during a speech in the battleground state of North Carolina, saying it was “bizarre” that the Iranian president received such a large security presence during his visit to the United Nations this week.
While discussing the job opportunities in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill, Trump mentioned the possibility that Iran might assassinate him.
“Meanwhile, this week we have the president of Iran visiting us with a massive security force guarding him, and they're threatening our former president and the front-runner to be our next president. It's a bizarre situation, certainly,” Trump said.
Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday.
Iranian leader speaks at UN following assassination and election interference threats against US politicians
President Trump made his remarks about Iran at a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Tehran's potential assassination plots were detailed in FBI documents made public earlier this month by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, which showed other potential targets included President Biden, Nikki Haley and other “politicians, military personnel and officials.”
Trump said that if he becomes president, he will tell any country that threatens the former president that he will “blow their great cities and the country to smithereens.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said that if he were president and a former president received such a threat, he would tell the country that made the threat that he would “blow a great city and the whole country to smithereens” if they tried to harm him.
“But right now we lack the leadership necessary to get that done,” the former president said. “We have not one, but two people who just keep watching. And when you do that, you're bound to have problems.”
The Trump campaign said Tuesday that the former president had been briefed by Iran about a “real and specific threat” of assassination. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said “we all need to work together” to put an end to those threats and “restore America's strength, power and prestige” which he suggested has “diminished under the Biden administration.”
Trump campaign claims Iran has reported “real and specific threats” to assassinate Trump
The Trump campaign said Tuesday that the former president had been briefed by Iran about a “real and specific threat” of assassination.
Iran's attempt to assassinate Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is part of Iran's efforts to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States, Trump campaign communications director Steven Thune said in a press release.
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In addition to the assassination plot, the FBI confirmed last week that Iranian hackers had attempted to provide communications files stolen from the Trump campaign to the Democratic presidential campaign.
Fox News' Bradford Betts and Caitlin McFaul contributed to this report.
