Thousands of people waited hours on a hot summer day in Grand Rapids for Donald Trump’s first rally since a gunman shot him in the ear during an assassination attempt, despite safety concerns.
As he took the stage after entering the arena surrounded by Secret Service agents, Trump described the shooting as an act of sacrifice. He said Democrats often accuse him of being a threat to democracy.
“Last week I took a bullet for democracy,” he said. “What did I do against democracy?”
Several people who attended the event in Michigan state on Saturday told the BBC that the assassination attempt, which also left one spectator dead and two others injured, would not deter them from showing support for the Republican presidential candidate. Some said they came because of the shooting.
- Author, Madeline Halpert
- Role, Reporting from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Trump was not scheduled to address the crowd until 17:00 EST (22:00 BST), but people began queuing the night before. By 13:00 EST, the line had stretched nearly three miles (4.8 km) outside the 12,000-capacity Van Dale Arena.
Unlike last week’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Grand Rapids event was held inside, allowing security officials to carefully monitor people entering the rally and prevent threats from outside the rally.
In his speech, Trump thanked the “thousands and thousands” of people who came out to visit him “almost exactly one week” after the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
He said, “I stand before you only by the grace of Almighty God”, and reiterated his belief that divine intervention saved him from being killed.
Wendy and Steve Upcott of Clarkston, Mich., were among the thousands who came from across the state to see him, many of them reassured by the increased security.
The couple said their 26-year-old daughter had begged them not to attend the rally two hours from their home because she feared for her safety after an assassination attempt. But they were forced to attend after the shooting last weekend.
“The likelihood of that happening again a week later is very low,” Ms Upcott said.
Upcott and several others in Grand Rapids dressed up in full regalia, including red Make America Great Again hats, cowboy hats, shirts and American flags. T-shirts with Trump’s picture on them were for sale.
Laura Schultz said she thought about her safety before deciding to attend the event with her friend Saturday morning.
“You can’t let fear get in your way,” he said.
Others at the rally, including many young people, said the assassination attempt compelled them to attend the Michigan rally.
This was the first Trump campaign event for Donald Trump. Donald, a 24-year-old Grand Rapids resident, wore a shirt with a viral photo of Trump raising his fist after being shot.
“This is the first event since the assassination attempt. I think it will probably be the most important rally,” said Donald, who declined to give his last name.
Donald said he had no concerns about his safety because there were hundreds of police officers, some on horseback, present.
But others said they were scared for Trump.
“It should be a concern for most Americans that they still aren’t safe,” Ms. Upcott said.
“He needs to be very careful,” Ms. Schultz said.
Other supporters have voiced anger at the US Secret Service over the incident last week. The agency faced intense scrutiny when shooter William Crooks was able to shoot Trump by climbing onto the roof of a building near the rally stage in Pennsylvania even though rallygoers had reported him to police.
Investigators still have no idea of a motive for the killing of the 20-year-old gunman, who was later killed by Secret Service agents.
Since then, the country has become more aware of potential threats to both presidential candidates. Police in Jupiter, Florida, arrested a man on Friday for allegedly threatening Trump on social media, while another Florida man was arrested a few days earlier for allegedly threatening President Joe Biden.
Jason Russell, a former Secret Service agent who worked campaign events in the Grand Rapids area, said securing the Michigan indoor event venue was fairly easy because there were metal detectors and military personnel searched the entire building.
“You’ll have a fair number of agents on site,” Mr. Russell said, adding that they would be able to keep Trump out of sight until his entrance.
It was one of several campaign stops made by the former president in this key electoral state, as surveys show him in a close contest with Mr Biden.
The rally took place shortly after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump officially accepted his party’s presidential nomination and delivered his first public speech since the assassination attempt.
This was the first time Trump appeared on the campaign trail with his vice-presidential candidate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden has had to pause his campaign events after testing positive for Covid-19.
He has continued to resist growing calls from members of his party for him to drop out of the race over concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.
Trump has mostly stayed mum about the Democrats’ drama, but on Saturday he told the crowd that they have “some problems.”
“They don’t know who their candidate is, and neither do we,” he said.
On Saturday, former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson released a statement about Trump’s condition after examining him.
Dr. Jackson said the bullet caused a 2-cm-wide wound to Trump’s ear that extended down to the cartilage, which “is beginning to heal nicely.” He said no stitches were needed.
Trump’s campaign also announced that it plans to hold its next rally on July 24 at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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