Donald Trump appears behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since shooting
Former US President Donald Trump appeared behind a protective wall of bulletproof glass at his first outdoor rally since being shot in an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
The protective shield is a stark contrast from the smaller panes used in July that failed to stop gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, from shooting him from a nearby rooftop in Butler.
Storage containers were placed around the perimeter to create additional barriers and block sight lines, while snipers were positioned on nearby rooftops as Trump appeared in front of crowds at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, Trump criticised Vice President Kamala Harris' handling of national security during his weeklong tour, aimed at driving attention away from the Democrats and their national convention in Chicago.
He was joined by his running mate Ohio Senator JD Vance who criticised Harris and her vice president pick Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama took centre stage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Tuesday, criticising Trump for his "narrow view of the world".
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” Michelle Obama said.
She addressed a comment Trump made during a June debate with President Biden, saying, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?”
Barack Obama mocked Trump's obsession with crowd sizes and called him “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago".
Trump addressed their comments at his rally, telling the crowd that "Barack Hussein Obama" was "taking shots at your president".
He said: "He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, 'Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal.' And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people.
"Do I still have to stick to policy?"
Before Trump arrived, the crowd erupted in cheers as his plane performed a flyover of the rally site.
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