Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at 1st outdoor rally since Butler shooting
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered his latest campaign trail remarks protected by bulletproof glass and multiple visible counter snipers on top of nearby buildings – his first outdoor campaign event not at his properties since a gunman attempted his life at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
It was his third counterprogramming event of the week against the Democratic National Convention, continuing with the series of events in battleground states focused on key election issues this year.
In Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump focused on national security, attacking the Biden-Harris administration on ongoing foreign conflicts, the Afghanistan withdrawal, American hostage deals and other issues.
Contrary to his intimate and small counterprogramming events in Pennsylvania and Michigan earlier this week, this was his biggest campaign event so far this week. Trump – with the American flag in the backdrop just like in Butler – speaking in an open field in front of thousands of supporters, including some who told ABC News they were at the Butler rally and said the set up in Asheboro reminded them of the Butler rally.
As ABC News previously reported, the U.S. Secret Service has ordered multiple sets of bulletproof glass panels to be stored around the country so it can be trucked to wherever it's needed, sources said. While the measure is typically reserved exclusively for sitting presidents, the Secret Service has made an exception following the attempt on Trump's life.
MORE: Secret Service prepares use of bulletproof glass for outdoor Trump rallies: Sources
The Secret Service had recommended that Trump stop holding outdoor rallies last month after a gunman in Butler fired at him from a rooftop 400 feet from the stage, nicking his ear and killing a spectator in the crowd.
Since July 13, Trump has held nearly a dozen campaign events, all of them indoors.
Claiming the United States was respected during his administration, Trump repeatedly painted a grim picture of a possible Kamala Harris presidency, saying, "If Comrade Kamala wins this November, World War three is virtually guaranteed to happen. Everything she touches, she destroys."
Escalating his attacks on the sitting vice president, Trump began to directly blame Harris for the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, even falsely claiming that Harris met with Russian President Vladimir Putin days before the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
"Remember when Biden sent Kamala to Europe to stop the war in Ukraine? She met with Putin, and then three days later, he attacked," Trump falsely claimed. "How did she do it? Think she did a good job. She met with Putin to tell him, don't do it. And three days later he attacked. That's when the attack started."
In reality, there's no public record of Harris meeting with Putin. Instead, she met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a security conference in Munich five days before the war broke out.
MORE: In boosting Kamala Harris at DNC, Obamas go high and low
Trump also suggested Harris was responsible for the way U.S. troops left Afghanistan, saying "she was the last person in the room with Biden when the two of them decided to pull the troops out of Afghanistan."
"She had the final vote; she had the final say, and she was all for it," Trump said, later promising to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable by asking for the resignations of "every single senior military official who touched the Afghanistan disaster."
Trump also claimed he would have handled the Afghanistan withdrawal better, claiming he has had conversations with the head of Taliban and that he "respected" him.
"Our adversaries knew that America was not to be trifled with when I was your commander in chief," Trump said. "... But since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it's been open season on America and our allies."
Trump also railed against "woke" military generals throughout his speech, claiming, "I know the good ones, the weak ones," praising his former military officials like Gen. Keith Kellogg.
Offering a glimpse of what his second term would look like, Trump declared "the days of blank checks for the weapons systems" are over and said he will build "a great Iron Dome" and give it to other countries like Israel.
"We will increase funding, but at the same time, the days of blank checks for the weapons systems over the past are over. I tell you what we will build, we're going to build a great Iron Dome over our country so that we don't have to get hit. We give it to other countries, we help Israel and other countries," Trump said.
Trump also said he would "aggressively" shift funding to "keep American on the cutting edge, investing in drones and other technology, saying he wants to invest "heavily" in "drones and robotics and artificial intelligence and hypersonics."
Even as he focused on policies, Trump dismissed the idea of stopping personal attacks on Harris – at one point, mocking his advisers for suggesting he should stick to policy and stray away from personal attacks. He then said that many speakers at the Democratic National Convention personally attacked him, referencing Barack and Michelle Obamas speeches last night.
Trump then polled the crowd to see if he should "get personal," followed by many in the crowd cheering. Prior to Obama's speech last night, Trump spoke highly of the former president, but quickly shifted his tone saying he was "nasty."
"Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night? He was taking shots at your president. And so is Michelle. They always say, please stick to policy, don't get personal. Yet they are getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?"
"I try and be nice to people, you know, but it's a little tough when they get personal," Trump said.
"He was very nasty last night. I try and be nice," Trump said about former Obama's speech at the DNC Tuesday night.
"Should I not get personal? he asked the crowd. After few agreed, Trump quipped, "I don't know -- my advisers are fired."
Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at 1st outdoor rally since Butler shooting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
