Donald Trump took the stage in North Carolina at the first public rally since the assassination attempt last month. He spoke about national security at the rally. It was part of his week-long tour of the country to divert attention from the Democratic National Convention.
Trump spoke from behind a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in the afternoon local time. He said, ‘After seventy-six days, we will win this state and the White House.’
The authorities prioritized security at this rally. Storage containers were placed high around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers took up positions on the venue’s roof. They put the vintage airplanes behind the podium and hung a large American flag from a crane.
We all know that on July 13, Donald Trump gave a speech at an election rally in an open space in Pennsylvania. At that time, a gunman shot him from the roof of another house nearby. The bullet hits his right ear. The security personnel took him away from the stage in a bloody state. A Trump supporter was shot dead in a row of spectators attending the rally. Two others were seriously injured. Doctors covered Trump’s right ear with a white bandage. In that situation, he said it was a surreal experience for him.
A 20-year-old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump. He was a registered voter of the Republican Party. At that time, law enforcement forces shot him. After that incident, the Secret Service advised him to stop holding campaign rallies outside for security reasons.
Since the shooting, Trump has already held about a dozen more campaign rallies, but all in indoor venues and safe zones. However, he has repeatedly said he wants to hold rallies in open spaces. At a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 31, he said, “We haven’t given up hope yet.” We will organize an election rally outside under the open sky.
A few days ago, Trump posted on social media that he would hold a rally in the open place. He also said, ‘The Secret Service is willing to strengthen their security arrangements. They are very capable of doing that.’
The Secret Service generally does not comment publicly on its security arrangements. AFP asked them about installing bulletproof glass around the podium and other measures to beef up security but did not receive a response. Seventy-eight-year-old former US President Trump is now running for his second term.
On Wednesday, Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, called Harris a candidate chosen by power brokers rather than voters. Before Trump took the stage, he criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vance Harris’ vice presidential candidate.
In between, he attacked Walz for mischaracterizing his service record as an Army National Guard member and recalled Walz’s retirement from service before his unit’s deployment to Iraq.
Trump visited battleground states in the busiest week of the campaign since the Republican primaries. These states will play an essential role in determining the election outcome. It is his second visit in the past week, reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this election. He appeared last Wednesday in Asheville, North Carolina, to give a speech on the economy.
In 2016, Trump won North Carolina by a wide margin. Four years ago, the former president won by a narrow margin. Again, in 2024, it is being considered a critical electoral battleground.