Donald Trump has appeared at his first campaign rally since he survived an attempted assassination, returning to the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate.
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"It was exactly one week ago, even to the hour, even to the minute," Trump said, reflecting on the July 13 shooting in Pennsylvania that left him with a bloodied ear, killed one supporter in the crowd and left two others injured.
"I stand before you only by the grace of almighty God," he said, the white gauze on his ear now replaced by a skin-coloured bandage.
"I shouldn't be here right now," he went on. "Something very special happened."
He offered a "very special thanks to Americans nationwide, including all of you here today for your extraordinary outpouring of love and support in the wake of the horrific last Saturday evening".
The crowd responded by chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!"
Trump was joined by Ohio Senator JD Vance at the pair's first event together since they became the Republican Party's nominees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
"I find it hard to believe that a week ago, an assassin tried to take Donald Trump's life, and now we have got a hell of a crowd in Michigan to welcome him back on the campaign trail," Vance said, speaking before Trump's arrival.
During his speech Trump mocked the Democrats, saying they wanted to kick US President Joe Biden off the presidential ticket.
"They have a couple of problems. No.1, they have no idea who their candidate is," Trump said to laughter and jeers.
"This guy goes and he gets the votes and now they want to take it away.
"As you're seeing, the Democrat Party is not the party of democracy. They're really the enemies of democracy."
Trump questioned critics who called him a threat to democracy.
"I'm saying, 'What the hell did I do for democracy?' Last week, I took a bullet for democracy."
Hours before he took the stage, Trump's supporters crowded the streets of downtown Grand Rapids in anticipation of the former president's remarks.
Supporters began lining up Friday morning, and by Saturday afternoon, the line stretched close to a mile from the venue's entrance.
Close to an hour before he was set to take the stage, supporters had filled nearly every seat in the 12,000-person Van Andel Arena.
Downtown Grand Rapids saw a significant police presence, with officers stationed on nearly every block, while others patrolled on horseback and bicycles.
Attendees were required to pass through a metal detector upon entering the indoor arena, yet the presence of security inside appeared consistent with previous events.
"This is the tightest I've ever seen the security," said Renee White, who said she's been to 33 of Trump's rallies. "We usually can bring in some small bags but today I had to just leave stuff out there."
White was seated behind the podium at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop. She described the shooting as "surreal" but said that it wouldn't stop her from going to rallies.
"If I'm going to be taken out, at least I'm doing something I love to do, right?" said White.
Michigan is one of the handful of crucial swing states expected to determine the outcome of November's presidential election.
Trump narrowly won the state by just more than 10,000 votes in 2016, but Democrat Joe Biden flipped it back in 2020, winning by a margin of 154,000 votes on his way to the presidency.
Australian Associated Press
