On Sunday (Nov. 3), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed concern over Donald Trump's campaign rally comments about protective barriers and the media. After Trump joked that potential assailants would “have to shoot through the fake news” to reach him, the California representative interpreted this as evidence of declining mental capacity during an MSNBC interview with Jen Psaki.

“I think that what the ex-president just said is further indication of his cognitive degeneration,” Pelosi stated before recalling Trump's bizarre rant about “electrocution or being eaten by sharks” at a Las Vegas, NV appearance in June. She emphasized that his remarks served to “diminish the power of the press, which is the guardian of our freedom in our country.”

Pelosi’s words came hours after a Trump event in Pennsylvania, where he described various glass barriers around him. “I have a piece of glass over here, and I don't have a piece of glass there,” he said. While his thoughts on the media drew laughter from the crowd, they prompted Pelosi to question his fitness for another term. “They may be voting for President [J.D. Vance], which would be a horrible thing for our country,” she stated, referring to Trump's running mate.

On Monday (Nov. 4), The Hill shared a response to Pelosi from Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung. “The president’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the media being harmed, or anything else,” Cheung claimed. “It was about threats against him that were spurred on by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats. In fact, President Trump was stating that the media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!”