ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — At his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination, Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass Wednesday in North Carolina at an event focused on national security.
On politics, he called his predecessor Barack Obama “nasty” for his comments the night before at the Democratic National Convention.
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The event, billed as focused on national security issues, was part of Trump’s weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago.
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Reflecting the importance of North Carolina in this year’s election, the trip was Trump’s second to the state in just the past week.
Last Wednesday, he appeared in Asheville, North Carolina, for a speech on the economy.
Trump won North Carolina by a comfortable margin in 2016.
ASHEBRORO, N. C. . (AP)—On Wednesday in North Carolina, Donald Trump addressed a national security-focused gathering while speaking behind bulletproof glass, during his first open-air rally since the attempted assassination last month. Regarding politics, he branded Barack Obama, his predecessor, as “nasty” for remarks he made the previous evening at the DNC.
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Throughout his remarks at the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speaker after speaker has attacked Trump as a threat to the nation should he return to the White House, Trump repeatedly blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine as well as the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Amidst the gathering at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame, the former president—who is currently the Republican nominee—asked the attendees if they had watched the speeches delivered on Tuesday by the former first lady Michelle Obama and president Barack Obama.
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He was directing criticism towards your president. Michelle was the same. You know, they always say to me, “Sir, please follow the rules.”. Remain impartial. Even so, he said, “And yet these people are getting personal all night long. Do I still have to follow policy?”.
As part of increased security measures meant to keep him safe following the attack by a gunman in Pennsylvania on July 13, Trump, who is running against Harris in the November election after Biden resigned, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage.
To obstruct sightlines and add more walls, storage containers were stacked around the outside. The venue featured old aircraft parked behind the podium, snipers stationed on roofs, and a massive American flag hanging from cranes.
Trump’s week-long counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, taking place in Chicago, included the event, which was billed as being centered on national security issues. As he tries to come to terms with Biden’s withdrawal from the race, allies have been pushing him to concentrate on policy rather than making personal jabs at Harris.
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Both of the Obamas gave dynamic speeches on Tuesday night, the second night of the Democratic convention. They were particularly critical of Trump in their remarks.
Michelle Obama stated that the existence of two successful, well-educated, hardworking Black people “made him feel threatened, because of his limited and narrow view of the world.”.
Trump’s fixation with crowd sizes was ridiculed by Barack Obama, who referred to him as “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode his golden escalator nine years ago.”. “.
“Now that he’s scared of losing to Kamala, it’s been a never-ending stream of complaints and complaints that’s actually gotten worse,” the former president stated.
Trump addressed the former president’s remarks later in his speech, having earlier brought up the Obamas.
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According to Trump, “He was very nasty last night.”. You know, I make an effort to be kind to others. However, when things get personal, things get a little difficult. “.
Then he asked the audience if he should heed his advisors’ advice to “please, sir, don’t get personal.”. Discuss policies. “.
“Is it better for me to get personal or not get personal?” he inquired. Much of the audience opted for the former.
Trump also referred to the convention as a “charade” and made fun of its repeated mentions of him. “.
The man he now refers to as “Comrade Kamala” will destroy the nation if Harris is elected to the White House, Trump said in his remarks, branding her as “the most radical left person ever to run for high political office in our country.”.
Trump has admitted that the race is closer than it was before Biden withdrew, but his advisors think Harris is still relatively unknown and that whenever her honeymoon period ends, efforts to draw attention to her past remarks and positions in previous contests will alienate swing voters.
He made repeated allusions to the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and declared that, should he be elected, he would demand the resignation of all senior military personnel involved.
“Critical Race Theory and Transgender Insanity the Hell Out of Our U.S.,” he vowed. s. armed forces. He implemented a Pentagon policy that essentially prohibited transgender people from enlisting in the military during his presidency, which Biden later overturned.
He declared, “Our warriors should be focused on defeating America’s enemies, not figuring out their genders.”. You won’t conduct a sex change or a social justice seminar in the US Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, or Space Force. Instead, you will hold them somewhere else. “.
Along with making significant commitments to the military, he also declared that he would organize the biggest recruitment drive the country had ever seen during peacetime.
After receiving several deferments, one of which was obtained with a doctor’s letter claiming that he had bone spurs in his feet, Trump declared, “We’re going to make it so hot that I’m going to want to resign and join the military.”.
Sen. [Name] joined Trump on Wednesday as his running mate. Ohio State Representative JD Vance criticized Harris’ choice of Minnesota Governor as her vice presidential nominee and painted Harris as a candidate chosen by elites rather than by the electorate. Tim Walz prior to Trump’s onstage appearance.
This included critiquing Walz for leaving the Army National Guard prior to his unit’s deployment to Iraq and persisting in accusing him of fabricating his service record.
Vance asked the audience, “What won’t Stolen Valor Tim Walz lie about?” after serving four years in the Marines.
In his busiest week of campaigning since the Republican primaries, Trump has spent the week traveling to states that are considered political battlegrounds.
The fact that Trump made his second visit to the state in as many days underscores the significance of North Carolina in this year’s election. He gave an economic speech in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
North Carolina went handily to Trump in the 2016 election. In 2024, the state is anticipated to be a crucial battleground, having given the former president his closest statewide margin of victory four years prior.
The rally site was flown over by Trump’s plane prior to his landing in Asheboro. Cheers broke out from the crowd.
Retired flight attendant and private pilot Edna Ryan, 68, expressed her optimism for the Republican candidate but cautioned, “We need to be strong because otherwise we’re going to be very sorry.”. “.
Lisa Watts, a retired Hickory, North Carolina business owner, expressed her “very positive” feelings about the race against Harris while attending her fifth Trump rally.
Watts remarked, “Her record doesn’t seem to indicate that she is prepared to lead this nation.”.
According to Watts, there isn’t much of a difference between Trump’s chances of winning now and when Biden was the Democratic nominee.
She predicted that the excitement surrounding Harris would subside, saying, “I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal.”.
New York is where Colvin reported.
