Former president Donald Trump was in the Piedmont today, holding his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt in July.
Hawkers selling hats, t-shirts and flags worked the crowd as thousands waited under the mid-afternoon sun to hear Trump speak at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame.
He was joined by his running mate Senator J.D. Vance. The Asheboro appearance was part of a series of events to keep attention on the campaign during the Democratic National Convention.
Trump spent much of his time addressing the criticisms leveled at him at the convention by speakers such as former President Barack Obama. Otherwise, the focus of Trump’s appearance was global security.
Trump argued that conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the fighting in Gaza would not have happened under his watch.
“Every American was safer under President Trump. In fact, the entire world was safer when I sat behind that beautiful resolute desk in the Oval Office,” he said.
For some attendees, Like Joyce Bauguess of Harrisburg, specifics weren’t as important as a chance to see Trump in person.
“We're real big fans of Donald Trump and very conservative," Bauguess said. "Whatever he talks about, if it's conservative, we're ready to listen.”
Charles Dagenhart of Greensboro took the day off when he heard on the radio that Trump was speaking nearby. He said he was better off when Trump was president.
“I was definitely a lot more comfortable financially, back when he was in office," said Dagenhart. "I mean, I was making less money then and I felt financially comfortable. I’m making more now and I'm living paycheck to paycheck to take care of my family.”
Martha McConnell was in Randolph County visiting family and wanted to hear what Trump is going to do for America;
“Not for me. My days are almost over, but I have a daughter, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. And as my daughter said to me this week, her babies need this man in office,” she said.
North Carolina is a key battleground state that Trump narrowly won in 2020.