Former US President Donald Trump made his first public appearance since the second apparent assassination attempt on him on Sunday, as a packed hall chanted " ;God Bless Trump!" and "Fight, Fight, Fight," and Secret Service agents surrounded the stage to protect the Republican presidential candidate, the Associated Press reported.
"It was a great experience," Trump said at a town hall in Flint, Michigan, referring to holding events with thousands of supporters. But he also said that running for president is a "dangerous job," like auto racing or bull riding (the rodeo).
"Only significant presidents are shot at,", he emphasized.
The two candidates briefly put aside their differences and had a phone call that Trump described as "very, very nice,", although the crowd booed him when he referred to Kamala Harris by her first name.
"It was very, very nice and we appreciate it," Trump told his supporters.
Earlier yesterday, Harris said she told Trump that "there is no place for political violence in our country.
Yesterday, Trump told Fox News that he expects to receive increased security from the Secret Service, Reuters notes. "We've been asking for more people for a long time," he added. "I think we're getting (extra security) now. Someone told me they're going to provide more people now,”, Trump said by phone to journalist Sean Hannity.
In his speech in the auto state of Michigan, Trump repeated false claims that Chinese automakers are building large plants in Mexico. He has vowed to impose a 200% tariff on all cars that non-built plants make and ship to the US.
During the event in Flint, Trump also said that if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in November, the US will no longer have an auto industry because the work to build electric cars will go entirely to China.
Trump is making similar claims even though auto employment has increased since President Joe Biden's term began, but fell during Trump's first term. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, auto jobs fell 0.8% during Trump's tenure to just over 949,000 in January 2021, when he leaves office.
According to Trump, his tariffs will force Chinese companies to build factories in the US. But they have had such plants for years, mostly in the southern states, AP notes.