On 14 September 2016, Infowars host Alex Jones devoted a segment to what he described as the revelation of a plot to kill Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In truth, the segment was a re-airing of a commentary that same day on Russian state television by host Dmitry Kiselyov:
Both Jones and Kiselyov said on their broadcasts that Trump was leading Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the polls that day, but neither cited a specific poll to bolster their claims (although Trump did lead the former secretary of state at the time in Florida, Nevada, and Ohio according to a Bloomberg Politics survey. A Quinnipiac University poll released the same day showed Clinton leading nationally by five percentage points.
In his commentary entitled "Will they kill Trump?," Kiselyov said Trump's performance at the polls, along with his "intentions to turn over a new leaf regarding the Russian-American relations" and "ability to speak boldly" had put him in a dangerous position. According to voiceover translation from Infowars, Kiselyov reported:
Now they can just just kill him. The intelligence services of the United States are not interested in the type of president Trump vows to be, because the contrived enemy in the form of Russia justifies their existence. American elites are not interested in a 'President Trump' as the establishment world order provides them with reliable sources of lucrative business. Trump, on the other hand, who is ready to reach agreements, would bring about a different set of financial opportunities, flowing in other directions.
The Hill provided this translation of the same section:
Now they may just kill him. The U.S. special services do not need such a president. Those services promote hatred toward Russia in order to justify their existence. The American oligarchs also do not need such a president. For these oligarchs, the existing world order ensures solid and stable business. For them, a Trump who is ready to settle issues with Russia means that the finances will flow in a different direction.
While providing no specific information regarding any attempts on Trump's life, Kiselyov did cite a 4 March 2016 op-ed piece by Stephen Lendman published on a blog belonging to Paul Craig Roberts, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy. Lendman mused that the assassinations of both John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were "inside jobs" and wondered whether Trump was heading for a similar fate:
Are long knives planning Trump’s removal? Is he being set up for elimination? Has a date, location and convenient patsy to be blamed for his demise been chosen?
Maybe an unfortunate plane crash, other fatal accident, or mysterious incurable, fast-acting deadly illness is planned.
Will Trump be gone before Republicans choose their nominee in July, or perhaps before November’s election?
Lendman did not offer any specific evidence that the former reality TV host was under any immediate threat. A British national, 20-year-old Michael Sandford, was arrested on 19 June 2016 for allegedly trying to take a police officer's gun in order to shoot and kill Trump, but pleaded guilty in connection with the incident on 13 September 2016, a day before Kiselyov's commentary aired.
While not offering any proof to back up Lendman's views, Kiselyov has stated that Trump wears a bulletproof vest, an allegation New York magazine also reported in March 2016, citing sources close to the campaign.
Kiselyov, who was appointed to lead the state news agency Rossiya Segodnya ("Russia Today") in December 2013, has also claimed on his show that Russia could turn the U.S. into "radioactive ashes" and defended Russia's anti-LGBT legislation by saying that if members of those communities dies in an auto accident, "their hearts should be burnt or buried in the ground as unsuitable for the continuation of life."