Trump Holds First Outdoor Rally Since Assassination Attempt, Slams Obama and Harris

Donald Trump held his first outdoor rally since the attempted assassination last month, speaking from behind bulletproof glass at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame. The event, focused on national security, was part of Trump's counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention. Trump called his predecessor Barack Obama "nasty" for his comments at the convention and blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the Afghanistan withdrawal and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Trump spoke from a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass and security measures, including storage containers and snipers. He repeatedly referenced the Democratic convention, where speakers assailed him as a threat to the country. Trump derided Harris as "the most radical left person ever to run for high political office" and said she would destroy the country if elected.

Trump also pledged to get "critical race theory and transgender insanity" out of the armed forces and launch the largest peace-time recruitment drive in history. His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, cast Harris as a candidate selected by power brokers and lambasted her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Trump has spent the week visiting battleground states, including his second trip to North Carolina in a week. The state is considered a key battleground in 2024, and Trump won it by a comfortable margin in 2016. Supporters at the rally expressed confidence in Trump's chances, with one attendee saying, “We need to be strong because otherwise we're going to be very sorry.”