Thousands gather for Trump rally in Michigan, undeterred by last week’s shooting

Thousands of people waited hours on a hot summer day in Grand Rapids for Donald Trump’s first rally since he was shot in the ear by a gunman in a failed assassination attempt, undeterred by safety concerns.

As he took the stage, after entering the arena surrounded by Secret Service agents, Trump cast the shooting as an act of sacrifice. He noted that Democrats often accuse him of being a threat to democracy.

“Last week, I took a bullet for democracy,” he said. “What have I done against democracy?”

Many people who attended Saturday’s event in the battleground state of Michigan told the BBC that the shooting, which also killed one spectator and injured two others, would not stop them from showing their support for the Republican presidential candidate. Some said they had come because of the shooting.

Trump was not scheduled to address the crowd until 5 p.m. EST (10 p.m. BST), but people had begun camping out in line the night before. By 1 p.m. EST, a line stretched about three miles (4.8km) outside the 12,000-capacity Van Del Arena.

Unlike last week’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Grand Rapids event was held indoors, allowing security personnel to closely monitor those entering and prevent threats from outside the protest.

In his speech, Trump thanked the “thousands and thousands” of people who came to see him “almost exactly” a week after the assassination in Pennsylvania.

“I stand before you all only by the grace of Almighty God,” he said, reiterating his belief that God’s intervention saved him from death.

Wendy and Steve Upcott of Clarkston, Michigan, were among the thousands who drove from across the state to see him, many feeling more secure because of the increased security.

The couple said their 26-year-old daughter begged them not to attend the protest two hours away, fearing for their safety after the assassination. But they felt compelled to come after the shooting last weekend.

“The chances of that happening again in just a week are very low,” said Upcott.

The Upcott family and many others in Grand Rapids wore red Make America Great Again caps, along with cowboy hats, shirts and full-blown American flag-themed outfits. T-shirts with Trump’s mugshot were on sale.

Laura Schultz said she thought about her safety Saturday morning before deciding to go to the event with a friend.

“You can’t let fear stop you,” she said.

Other protest participants, including some young people, said the assassination motivated them to attend the Michigan protest.

This was Trump’s first campaign event for Donald, a 24-year-old from Grand Rapids who wore a shirt with a viral image of Trump pumping his fist after being shot.

“This is the first event after the attempted assassination. I think this will probably be the most important protest,” said Donald, who declined to share his last name.

Donald said he did not fear for his safety because there were hundreds of police, including some on horseback.

But others said they still fear for Trump.

“Most Americans should be concerned that he is not safe yet,” Upcott said.

“He needs to be very careful,” Ms. Schultz said.

Other supporters expressed outrage at the U.S. Secret Service over last week’s incident. The agency has faced intense scrutiny after gunman William Crooks was able to target Trump in Pennsylvania by climbing onto the roof of a building near the rally stage, even after protesters pointed him out to police.

Investigators have not yet determined the motive of the 20-year-old gunman, who was later killed by secret service agents.

Since then, the country has become more sensitive to potential threats against both presidential candidates. Police in Jupiter, Florida, arrested a man on Friday for allegedly posting threats against Trump on social media, while another Florida man was arrested days earlier for allegedly threatening President Joe Biden.

Former Secret Service agent Jason Russell, who worked campaign events at the Grand Rapids arena, said indoor event spaces in Michigan are much easier to protect, with metal detectors and military personnel scanning the entire building.

“You’re going to have a large number of agents on the ground,” Mr Russell said, adding that they would be able to keep Trump out of sight until he entered.

It is one of several campaign stops by the former president in the key battleground state as polls show him in a tight race with Mr Biden.

The rally came on the heels of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump formally accepted the party’s presidential nomination and delivered his first public speech since the assassination.

The event also marked Trump’s first appearance on the campaign trail with his vice presidential running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.

Meanwhile, Mr. Biden had to suspend campaign events after testing positive for COVID-19.

He continues to resist growing calls from members of his party to withdraw from the race over concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.

Trump has largely remained silent about the Democrats’ performance, but on Saturday he told the crowd they had “a few problems.”

“They don’t know who their candidate is, and neither do we,” he said.

On Saturday, former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson issued a statement about his condition after examining Trump.

Dr. Jackson said the bullet created a 2-centimeter-wide wound on Trump’s ear that extended down to the cartilage and is now “healing normally.” He added that the wound did not require stitches.

The Trump campaign also announced that it plans to hold its next rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 24 at Bojangles Coliseum.