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WILD: Trump Pauses NC Rally Speech, Leaves Stage to Check on Supporter Who Had Medical Emergency
By
Susie Moore | 3:30 PM on August 21, 2024
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AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson
Wednesday afternoon, former President Donald Trump held his first outdoor rally since he was shot in a failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 — this time in Asheboro, North Carolina. Given security concerns, Trump now addresses the crowd from behind plexiglass.
He spoke at length, and Ward Clark has some more in-depth coverage of what he had to say in the piece linked below. But there was a moment during the rally that caught everyone by surprise. A woman in the audience appeared to be having a medical emergency — possibly heat-related.
Trump Speaks in North Carolina, and He's Back on His Game
Trump paused his speech and summoned a doctor over to assist her. Then, after waiting a few moments, he strode down off the stage and out from behind the plexiglass over to the stands where she was to check on her directly.
The Secret Service agents with him appeared to scramble to accompany him. I can't imagine they were thrilled with his unscripted move.
Nevertheless, he walked over to the stands where she was being tended to, spoke with her, and then gave her a big hug — and a kiss on the top of her hat — before returning to the stage. Thankfully, the woman appeared to be okay.
One assumes (hopes?) that everyone in the crowd had been screened before the event — and that there was adequate overwatch, unlike in Butler. Still, with what happened so recently, it was a bit jarring to see him walk out from behind the protective glass in that outdoor setting. But it was a neat moment — one that once again humanized the man the Dems continue to do their damnedest to demonize.