Trump held his first rally after assassination attempt, sharply criticized Democrats
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held his first rally following the assassination attempt, during which he sharply criticized his political opponents, according to Reuters.
Following a brief call for national unity earlier in the week, Donald Trump returned to his usual campaign tactics. He employed offensive and sometimes obscene language to attack his opponents and reiterated several false claims regarding immigration, the economy, and election fraud.
On Saturday, July 20, Trump appeared at a rally in Grand Rapids alongside his new vice-presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance from Ohio. They took the stage with Republican Party representatives.
During his speech, Trump mocked Democratic Party figures and likened former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to a dog.
Trump regularly ridiculed President Joe Biden, describing him as weak. He targeted prominent Democrats, including Pelosi, for attempting to persuade the current US President to end his re-election campaign.
The former President criticized Democrats, claiming they wanted to push Biden out of the party after he won their presidential nomination contest.
"They have a couple of problems. No. 1, they have no idea who their candidate is. This guy goes and he gets the votes and now they want to take it away," Trump said.
Referring to Pelosi, Trump said: "She's turned on him like a dog. She's as crazy as a bed bug."
Trump also referenced the assassination attempt on him several times.
"I hope I don't have to go through that again. It was so horrible," he said.
Reuters notes that the rally in Grand Rapids on Saturday saw a heavy police presence at street intersections across several blocks.
US Secret Service agents were stationed on the upper balconies of the Van Andel Arena, allowing them to monitor the crowd from a bird’s-eye view.
Assassination attempt on Donald Trump
On July 13, a 20-year-old man attempted to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate. Most of the shots missed Trump, but one grazed the politician's ear, coming within less than a quarter of an inch from his head.
Following the incident, the Secret Service increased security around Trump’s residence.
On July 20, a man was arrested in the US for threatening to kill Trump and his ally, J.D. Vance.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden announced that he would return to the campaign trail next week and continue exposing the threats posed by Trump’s policies.
