{"id":2304963,"date":"2024-07-22T07:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T11:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-attend-trumps-first-rally-since-assassination-attempt\/"},"modified":"2024-07-22T07:29:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T11:29:36","slug":"thousands-of-people-attend-trumps-first-rally-since-assassination-attempt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-people-attend-trumps-first-rally-since-assassination-attempt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of people attend Trump&#8217;s first rally since assassination attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthousands-of-people-attend-trumps-first-rally-since-assassination-attempt-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2304963&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Thousands of people gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, \u200dto support former \u200bPresident Donald\u200d Trump just\u2062 one week after an assassination attempt. Trump spoke at the Van\u200c Andel Arena, his first rally since \u2064the incident in Pennsylvania. The event had heightened security measures, with Secret Service agents and\u200b police patrolling\u2064 the area. Despite the risks, supporters showed unwavering enthusiasm, with some citing the assassination attempt as a reason for attending.\u200d Trump addressed various issues during his speech, including the Afghanistan withdrawal, and emphasized \u200cthe role of faith in his life. The crowd \u200dexuded a sense of \u200chope and anticipation for Trump&#8217;s campaign,\u2063 with many predicting a landslide victory. Biden&#8217;s \u200cwithdrawal\u200d from the presidential race was also\u2063 mentioned, with Trump criticizing the \u200cDemocratic Party&#8217;s tactics. Despite the seriousness\u200b of \u2063the situation, Trump maintained his trademark energy and humor throughout the rally.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Thousands of people showed up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to support former President Donald Trump just one week after his assassination attempt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was exactly one week ago today, almost to the hour, even to the minute,&rdquo; Trump said to rallygoers in Van Andel Arena.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters filled the 12,000-person <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanandelarena.com\/p\/visit\/van-andel-arena-faqs#:~:text=Van%20Andel%20Arena%20is%20a,set%2Dup%20of%20the%20event.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stadium<\/a>, from floor to ceiling, to hear Trump speak on the evening of July 20. This was Trump&rsquo;s first rally since an assassin <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/13\/trump-wounded-after-gunshots-ring-out-at-pa-rally-defiantly-pumps-fist-after-apparent-assassination-attempt\/#:~:text=During%20former%20President%20Trump%27s%20rally,shooter%2C%20who%20is%20now%20deceased.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wounded<\/a> him and two attendees, killing another, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hours before the rally, Secret Service agents and Grand Rapids police officers patrolled outside the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids. Police blocked off the surrounding streets, and officers on horseback rode back and forth. Hurricane fences and steel barricades guided the crowd to a security checkpoint, and Secret Service K-9 detection units &mdash; allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/19\/report-trumps-butler-rally-loose-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">absent<\/a> from the Butler rally &mdash; scanned for anything suspicious.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said during his speech that &ldquo;crowds of people&rdquo; were still outside for &ldquo;blocks and blocks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>A New Enthusiasm<\/h2>\n<p>An almost religious air filled the crowd for the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/17\/jesus-christ-is-trumps-security-detail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">divine providence<\/a> that saved Trump from an assassin&rsquo;s bullet.&nbsp;People distributed Scripture on the sidewalks outside the entrance. Clothes bearing crosses, Scripture verses, and religious messages dotted the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Tim Walberg. R-Mich., delivered an invocation that roughly followed The Lord&rsquo;s Prayer, in the name of &ldquo;my savior Jesus Christ.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Walberg opened by asking those who believe God listens to prayer to raise their hands. The crowd responded with raised hands and applause, and Walberg said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s close to 100 percent.&rdquo; Shouts of &ldquo;Jesus&rdquo; rose from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t believe that God intervenes in the affairs of men, I&rsquo;d like to ask you to reconsider,&rdquo; Walberg said. &ldquo;I would hope that those that weren&rsquo;t able to raise their hands would at least give a chance to see what God can do through a people committed to his principles.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For some, the assassination attempt encouraged them to attend the rally.<\/p>\n<p>Grand Rapids resident Elijah William said the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-assassination-attempt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempt<\/a> on Trump&rsquo;s life made him feel like he needed to support the former president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very, very powerful moment. I feel like I would not have come here if it was not for that happening,&rdquo; William said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m here to support what&rsquo;s supposed to be right.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>William said he voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, for which he said he is &ldquo;ashamed.&rdquo; He said he plans to vote for Trump in November because of Biden&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disastrous<\/a> withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How we handled the situation pulling the troops out, I did not like that situation. I&rsquo;m not military, but my whole family&rsquo;s military. My father was a Green Beret in the Army,&rdquo; William said. &ldquo;Both my parents have battles every single day with their mental health, with personal health, things that they&rsquo;ve done, and sacrifices for the country. Veterans aren&rsquo;t getting treated right.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump addressed the Afghanistan withdrawal in his remarks, calling it the &ldquo;most embarrassing disaster.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Julie DeJonge said Trump&rsquo;s return to the campaign trail after the assassination attempt gave her &ldquo;hope&rdquo; for her children and future grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Why am I here? Come on, this is like history,&rdquo; DeJonge said.<\/p>\n<p>Grand Blanc, Michigan, resident Scott Miller said it was &ldquo;unbelievable&rdquo; and a &ldquo;blessing&rdquo; to see Trump campaigning again.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is going to be a landslide victory in my opinion. He&rsquo;s going to take the state of Michigan without a shadow of a doubt,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter who they put. You could put Biden, you could put our governor &mdash; and I use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-people-attend-trumps-first-rally-since-assassination-attempt\/\" title=\"Thousands of people attend Trump&#039;s first rally since assassination attempt\">air quotes &#038;mdash<\/a>; [Gretchen] Whitmer, you could put the &lsquo;Weekend at Bernie&rsquo;s&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/fox8.com\/news\/featured\/baseball-fans-applaud-kansas-city-for-putting-weekend-at-bernies-cutout-in-stands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cutout<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Biden announced Sunday he is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoeBiden\/status\/1815087772216303933\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">withdrawing<\/a> from the presidential race and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/21\/if-biden-cannot-run-for-office-then-he-cannot-remain-in-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">endorsing<\/a> Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump anticipated Democrats would make a move like this to circumvent the primary process.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They have no idea who their candidate is,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;This guy goes and gets the votes, and now they want to take it away. That&rsquo;s &lsquo;democracy.&rsquo; They talk about &lsquo;democracy.&rsquo; &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s take it away from him.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2>Same Trump, New Dynamics<\/h2>\n<p>Trump, still wearing a bandage on his ear from the attempt on his life, had the same energy and humor. But this time, he carried himself more soberly and spoke with more weight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As I said <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/19\/im-not-supposed-to-be-here-transformed-trump-delivers-poignant-convention-address\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">earlier<\/a> this week, I stand before you only by the grace of Almighty God. I shouldn&rsquo;t be here,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Something very special happened, let&rsquo;s face it. Something happened.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump brought up faith several times during the rally. He mentioned the feeling of undeniable belief from when he was a child, and his father would bring him to Billy Graham services in Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The place was packed. He would get up there and he would rant and rave, and you left there,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;And you believe that it was God, in fact, that helped me last week.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>He called out the media and Democrats for painting him as a &ldquo;threat to democracy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What did I do to democracy?&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Last week I took a bullet for democracy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Running Mates<\/h2>\n<p>This was the first time Trump hosted a rally with his <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/15\/trump-names-j-d-vance-as-his-2024-running-mate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choice<\/a> for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio. They made a strong duo.<\/p>\n<p>When Vance walked on stage to &ldquo;America First&rdquo; by Merle Haggard, the crowd erupted in applause. Vance said Trump fits the most basic requirement for president, loving America. Chants of &ldquo;J.D., J.D., J.D.&rdquo; broke out.<\/p>\n<p>Vance introduced Trump, and the two embraced when Trump walked on stage to &ldquo;God Bless the USA&rdquo; by Lee Greenwood.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&ldquo;Thank you, J.D., for the introduction, you&rsquo;re going to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-enjoys-being-back-on-the-campaign-trail-following-the-shooting-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump enjoys being back on the campaign trail following the shooting- Washington Examiner\">fantastic vice president<\/a>,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;I chose him because he&rsquo;s for the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/18\/j-d-vance-appeals-to-the-cast-aside-and-forgotten-in-rnc-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worker<\/a>, he&rsquo;s for the people that work so hard and perhaps weren&rsquo;t treated as they should have been.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump said upon returning to the Oval Office, he would return control of America to the &ldquo;silent majority.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our great silent majority, including the once-forgotten men and women of our country, will be the one shaping America&rsquo;s magnificent future when I am the 47th president of the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>      Logan Washburn is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-clark-county-keeps-commercial-addresses-on-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Clark County Keeps Commercial Addresses On Voter Rolls\">staff writer covering election integrity<\/a>. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo&#8217;s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands of people gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to show their support for former President Donald Trump just one week after he survived an assassination attempt. Trump addressed the crowd at Van Andel Arena, which was filled to capacity with supporters eager to hear him speak. This rally marked Trump&#8217;s first public appearance since the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania. Security was tight at the event, with Secret Service agents and police officers patrolling the area. Trump&#8217;s return to the campaign trail after the assassination attempt was met with a sense of religious fervor among attendees, with many expressing gratitude for his survival. Some attendees, like Grand Rapids resident Elijah William, felt compelled to attend the rally in support of Trump following the attempt on his life. Trump addressed various issues during his speech, including the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he called a &#8220;disaster.&#8221; The rally also featured Trump&#8217;s choice for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance, who received a warm reception from the crowd. Trump expressed confidence in his re-election prospects and vowed to return control of the country to the &#8220;silent majority&#8221; if elected for a second term<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":2304964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Trump-Rally-Attendees.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34943,4864,5894,4433,3634],"class_list":["post-2304963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-assassination-attempt","tag-event","tag-politics","tag-rally","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Trump-Rally-Attendees.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2304964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}