ASHEBORO, N.C. – Former President Donald Trump ventured outside a bulletproof enclosure set up by the Secret Service Wednesday to embrace a North Carolina rally-goer who needed medical attention.
A ballistics-glass panel was placed in front of Trump’s podium in Asheboro, N.C., and three more flanked his back and sides, as part of enhanced security measures for the former president’s first outdoor rally since the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler., Pa.
Trump, 78, paused mid-speech when supporters in the crowd called out for medics.
“What’s wrong?” Trump asked, turning his attention to the commotion.
“A doctor, please,” the former president called for, noting that “It is very hot here.”
As medical personnel helped a white-haired woman down from the stands, who had apparently collapsed, Trump left the bulletproof perimeter to give her a hug.
Secret Service agents surrounded the former president as he ventured out from behind the safety of the glass and toward the crowd.
“You know, they come two days, three days early, and it’s a lot. It’s a lot of stress,” Trump said after returning to the podium.
The Secret Service had reportedly encouraged Trump to no longer hold outdoor events in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Open-air rallies, which are able to accommodate a large number of supporters, have become a signature of all three of Trump’s presidential campaigns.
