(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump campaigned Tuesday in Michigan, marking his first public event since an apparent second assassination attempt at his Florida golf course.
Trump attended a town hall at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. His former press secretary and current Arkansas governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, moderated the conversation.
The event comes two days after police say a man pushed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle through the fence perimeter of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course near where the former president was playing Sunday.
A Secret Service agent saw the rifle and shot at the man, who fled the scene, leaving behind the firearm, a GoPro camera and two backpacks. No one was injured in the shooting, which took place about 5 miles away from the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The man is now in custody and faces gun charges.
Addressing the dangers of the presidency, Trump stated, “Only consequential presidents get shot at,” suggesting the attempts on his life validate his impact.
There was an electric atmosphere inside the standing-room-only sports arena, where thousands of Trump supporters greeted the former president with a deafening roar when he took the stage.
The overflowing crowd interrupted Trump’s discussion with Sanders with chants of “God bless Trump!” and “Fight, fight, fight” at various times.
“A lot of love in this room,” Trump remarked.
Trump said he had a call with Vice President Kamala Harris and described it as “very, very nice.” He did not provide details about the conversation’s content.
Trump, speaking for an hour, said, “Secret Service did a hell of a job. Now, they do need more people, and they’ve been complaining about that for a long time.”
“It’s a dangerous business, however, being president. It’s a little bit dangerous,” he said.
Trump predicted dire consequences for the auto industry if he loses the upcoming election, claiming, “If a tragedy happens and we don’t win, there will be zero car jobs.”
Throughout the town hall, he praised women’s intelligence while recounting how a female witness spotted an armed individual.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
