ASHEBORO, North Carolina, USA (AP) — In his first outdoor campaign event since the assassination attempt against him last month, Donald Trump appeared on Wednesday behind bulletproof glass for an event in North Carolina focused on national security. In political matters, he called his predecessor, Barack Obama, “disgusting” for the comments he made the night before during the Democratic National Convention.
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Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the chaotic withdrawal of the military forces from Afghanistan and for the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. He also referred on several occasions to the Democratic convention in Chicago, where one speaker after another attacked Trump and labeled him as a threat to the country in case he returns to the White House.
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The former president and current candidate for the Republican Party asked the crowd gathered at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame if they had seen the speeches from former President Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday.
"I was attacking your president. And Michelle did the same. You know, they always say, 'Sir, please stick to political issues. Do not get personal.' And yet, these people launched personal attacks all night," he emphasized and posed the question: "Should I still limit myself to political issues?"
Trump, who will face Harris in the November election after Biden dropped out of the race, spoke from a lectern surrounded by bulletproof glass panels that formed a protective wall around the entire stage, as part of an increase in security measures following the attack carried out by an armed man in Pennsylvania on July 13th.
Storage containers were stacked around the perimeter to create additional barriers and block visibility. Snipers were positioned on the rooftops of the place, where there were old aircraft behind the platform and a huge American flag hanging from cranes.
The event was part of a week of activities in which Trump seeks to counter the Democratic National Convention taking place in Chicago. His allies have urged him to focus on political issues and not on personal attacks against Harris at a time when he is struggling to adjust to Biden's departure from the race.
The second day of the Democratic convention included speeches by the Obamas, who launched particularly scathing attacks against Trump.
"His limited and narrow view of the world has made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, and successful individuals who happen to be Black," said Michelle Obama.
Barack Obama mocked Trump's obsession with crowd size and referred to the Republican as "a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped complaining about his problems since he descended from his golden staircase nine years ago."
"It has been a constant flow of complaints and grievances that has actually worsened now that he is afraid of losing against Kamala," said Obama.