First Outdoor rally since assassination: Trump 'Fires' at Harris behind bulletproof glass

(AsheBORO) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stood behind bulletproof glass Wednesday as he held his first outdoor campaign event since his assassination attempt. He slammed Democratic rival Harris as the "most radical leftist" ever to run for the White House and said millions of jobs would be lost overnight if she won.

On Wednesday, Trump and his running mate Vance attended an open-air campaign rally at an aviation museum in the swing state of Asheboro, North Carolina. It was a month since Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Following the recommendation of the US Secret Service, more than 10 of Trump's previous campaign events were held in indoor venues such as sports stadiums. The SWAT said last week that bulletproof glass would be used at Trump's outdoor campaign events to protect his personal safety.

When Trump spoke in Asheboro, bulletproof glass was placed around the podium. Portable storage devices and mobile trucks placed on site to create barriers and block the view of potential attackers; Snipers were also deployed on nearby rooftops.

The rally focused on national security issues. "Our adversaries around the world know that during my time as your commander-in-chief, America is not to be sneezed at," Trump said. If Harris wins in November, World War III will almost certainly break out."

He called Harris a far-left candidate and said Americans' "life savings would be wiped out" if she were elected. His return to the White House would boost the US economy.

Trump also renewed his criticism of NATO members for not paying their "fair share" and claimed that if he had been in office in 2022 instead of current President Joe Biden, there would have been no war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump also said Democrats are "very good at cheating elections," repeating allegations of massive fraud in the 2020 election. He said he would "fix" the problem if re-elected as president.

Since running for president in 2016, Trump has cast himself as a Washington outsider and representative of the people. The 10,000-person rally is an integral part of his political brand and part of his strategy to highlight that he is more dynamic and popular than Biden.

However, Mr Biden's earlier abandonment of his re-election bid disrupted Mr Trump's campaign strategy. Harris, the vice president who replaced Biden, is relatively young and popular, regularly drawing more than 10,000 people to her campaign events.

This is Trump's second visit to North Carolina in a week, underscoring the importance of the state in this election. In the 2016 election, Trump easily won North Carolina and was elected president. He also narrowly won the state in the 2020 election, but ultimately lost to Biden.