Senior political correspondent Maggie Haberman suggested Friday evening that former President Trump is feeling anxious following two assassination threats this election cycle.
Her comments came in response to the former president saying he was “ready to start duking it out,” and joking about having a “yip” problem after appearing to be startled by movement in the audience during a rally Wednesday. Haberman, who attended the campaign event, told CNN’s Boris Sanchez that Trump appeared “on edge.”
“Looking at his face was very telling, because you see his eyes dart off to the right, and he jerks his body, and he says it that he thought that somebody was coming up to the stage,” she said on CNN’s “The Source.”
“He is on edge,” the New York Times correspondent added, noting that she noticed him flinch. “For him to say that he has a yip problem, which is an acknowledgement of anxiety, is pretty unusual, for a guy who likes to project strength at all times.”
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested last week in connection with an apparent assassination attempt against the former president at his golf club in Florida earlier this month. Secret Service noticed a rifle poking through the perimeter of the course in West Palm Beach, Fla., and fired shots toward the man, who fled the scene before firing any of his own shots.
Routh was later charged for two federal gun crimes: Possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and using a weapon with obliterated serial numbers.
The incident came after Trump was grazed in the ear with a bullet during a shooting at rally in Pennsylvania in July. During that event, the gunman and one other rallygoer were killed — and others injured.
Scrutiny around the Secret Service and its handling of the situation swirled following the shooting and led to the resignation of former Director Kimberly Cheatle. An internal review found “multiple operational and communications failures” by the agency in the lead-up to the first assassination attempt.
The House on Friday unanimously passed legislation to increase protection for the former president. A similar bill in the Senate would expand protection for presidential candidates and their running mates, as well as their spouses.
Haberman said, in a broader sense, that Trump campaign likely feels constantly “under siege.”
“He and his campaign, feel very under siege. They just feel as if they are under attack, all the time, in one way or another, and for a variety of reasons,” she told Sanchez in the interview. “There are physical threats. There are internet threats. There is a number of threats. And it’s coming from various places.”
“But there’s the one shooter in Butler, Pennsylvania, and there’s the alleged gunman in Florida. And so far, there’s no reason to believe that those have ties to anybody,” she added later.
Many Republicans have blamed the incidents on fiery rhetoric from Democrats, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson praised the House-passed bill and said Friday that despite the threats, the former president is “unshakeable.”