Advertisement

Dan Rather says Donald Trump’s 2nd amendment comments ‘a new low’

Click to play video: 'Donald Trump in hot water over Hillary Clinton assassination remarks'
Donald Trump in hot water over Hillary Clinton assassination remarks
Donald Trump in hot water over Hillary Clinton assassination remarks. Global News' Aarti Pole reports. – Aug 9, 2016

Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments about “Second Amendment people” have rippled across the continent and now, veteran journalist Dan Rather says people should not stand for it.

Trump’s assertion that there was something “Second Amendment people” could do to stop rival Hillary Clinton from appointing judges to the Supreme Court — which many read as a violent threat — came moments after he falsely claimed Clinton wanted to revoke the right to gun ownership.

WATCH: Trump’s ‘2nd Amendment people’ comment raises concern on violence against Clinton

Click to play video: 'Trump’s ‘2nd Amendment people’ comment raises concern on violence against Clinton'
Trump’s ‘2nd Amendment people’ comment raises concern on violence against Clinton

Rather, a former anchor on CBS News, took to Facebook on Wednesday evening, only hours after the comments were made, and criticized Trump for reaching “a new low … in the history of American presidential politics.”

Story continues below advertisement

“This is a direct threat of violence against a political rival,” Rather wrote. “It is not just against the norms of American politics, it raises a serious question of whether it is against the law.”

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trump clarified his remarks late on Tuesday, suggesting he was referring to the voting power that gun owners hold, insisting that “there could be no other interpretation” during an interview on Fox News.

READ MORE: Donald Trump blames media for misinterpretation of Second Amendment comment

But in his Facebook post, Rather said that no matter how Trump explains it, his words “cannot be taken back.”

“That is what inciting violence means,” he wrote.

Parts of his post, while public, seem directed to Republican supporters of Trump.

READ MORE: Rob Reiner on Donald Trump’s 2nd Amendment remarks: ‘Enough already’

“Many have tried to do a side-shuffle and issue statements saying they strongly disagree with his rhetoric but still support the candidate. That is becoming woefully insufficient. The rhetoric is the candidate.

“We will soon know whether anyone who has publicly supported Trump explains how they can continue to do.”

Story continues below advertisement

Rather worked as an anchorman on the CBS Evening News for over 20 years, before leaving the company in 2005 after controversy surrounding a report on George W. Bush’s military record.

WATCH: Paul Ryan believes Trump 2nd Amendment comments a ‘joke gone bad’

Click to play video: 'Paul Ryan believes Trump 2nd Amendment comments a ‘joke gone bad’'
Paul Ryan believes Trump 2nd Amendment comments a ‘joke gone bad’

Sponsored content

AdChoices