Trump on criticism of comments: ‘Give me a break’

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pushed back Tuesday night against criticism of comments he made at an earlier rally, where he appeared to joke about the possibility that gun owners could take action against Hillary Clinton.

{mosads}”This is a political movement. This is a strong powerful movement, the Second Amendment. Hillary wants to take your guns away,” he said, according to an excerpt of an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity that aired Tuesday night.

“She wants to leave you unprotected in your home. This is a tremendous political movement.”

Trump then touted the support he has from the National Rifle Association.

“Wayne and Chris and all the people over there and they tweeted out, basically they agree 100 percent with what I said,” he said.

“And there can be no other interpretation. Even reporters have told me. I mean, give me a break.”

During a rally Tuesday in North Carolina, Trump was talking about the possibility that Clinton, his Democratic counterpart, would be able to appoint liberal justices to the Supreme Court if she wins the White House.

“Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the Second Amendment,” Trump said at the rally, to boos from the crowd.

“By the way, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks,” he added.

“Though the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know.”

His comments drew immediate backlash, with the Clinton campaign calling the rhetoric “dangerous” and saying a person running for president “should not suggest violence in any way.”

Trump’s campaign downplayed the controversy, issuing a statement attacking the “dishonest media.”

“It’s called the power of unification — 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power,” Jason Miller, a top Trump aide, said in the statement.