Hosting his first outdoor rally since being shot at in Pennsylvania last month, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was protected by bulletproof glass when he took the stage in North Carolina on Wednesday. Security measures to protect the 78-year-old candidate included storage containers stacked around the perimeter of the space to block direct sight lines, according to The Associated Press......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
During an event in North Carolina focused on national security, he blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, while returning repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speakers have condemned Mr Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House.
The former president, now the Republican nominee, asked the crowd at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches given on Tuesday by former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
“He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal’. And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people,” he said, asking: “Do I still have to stick to policy?”
Mr Trump, who is facing Ms Harris in the November election after Mr Biden stepped aside, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass which formed a protective wall across the stage — part of ramped-up security measures aimed at keeping him safe after the attack by a gunman in Pennsylvania on July 13.
Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines. Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.
The event was part of Mr Trump’s week-long series of counter-programming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago. Allies have been urging him to focus on policy instead of personal attacks against Ms Harris as he struggles to adjust to Mr Biden’s departure from the race.