Donald Trump took to the stage in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the first time since he narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullets last Saturday.
In front of a packed arena—massive queues stretched around the block eight hours before Trump spoke—the former president wasted no time in blasting his opponents for claiming that he’s a “threat to democracy.”
“As you’re seeing, the Democrat Party is not the party of democracy. They’re really the enemies of democracy. The party of corrupt insiders like Whitmer, special interests, and the failed political class. That’s what they are. Under our leadership the Republican Party is now the party of the people. We’re the party of hardworking Americans of every race, religion, colour and creed. We’ve become a very big party.”
Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation project that in recent weeks has been a major source of criticism from his opponents.
“The other side’s going around trying to make me sound extreme, like I’m an extremist. I’m not. I’m a person with great common sense. I’m not an extremist at all. Like some on the right, the severe right, came up with this Project ’25. I don’t even know. I mean, some of them I know who they are, but they’re very, very conservative. They’re sort of the opposite of the radical left.”
“I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it.”
“They keep saying, ‘He’s a threat to democracy,’” Trump added.
“I’m saying, ‘What the hell did I do for democracy? Last week I took a bullet for democracy!’”
Trump spoke about the assassination attempt.
“It was exactly one week ago today almost to the hour, even to the minute,” he said, as chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” rang out in the crowd.
“What a day it was. As I said earlier this week, I stand before you only by the grace of almighty God, that’s true. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be here.”
Trump also praised Corey Comperatore, the army veteran and firefighter who was killed during the assassination attempt, as he shielded his wife and daughter.
“Cory was a hero and we will carry his memory in our hearts for all time. Great Hero,” Trump said.
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