AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign stage this weekend where he held his first rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., with his new running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. It was also the first rally since the attempted assassination last Saturday. The two are looking to build on the momentum from last week's Republican National Convention as the campaign takes aim at key blue wall states.
NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is covering the campaign. He joins us now from Chicago. Hey, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So what was it like seeing Trump and J.D. Vance onstage together?
ORDOÑEZ: You know, they actually did not spend that much time together except for a brief embrace. But Trump did say that Vance was going to make a great vice president. Vance also actually took the stage earlier in the afternoon where he spoke a bit longer. And he touted Trump's policies, and, you know, he really looked to make a contrast between Trump's years in office and those of Biden.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
J D VANCE: Who could possibly reject the idea that four years of President Trump has been a hell of a lot better than four years of Joe Biden, right?
(CHEERING)
ORDOÑEZ: Vance spoke of his own hardscrabble upbringing in Southern Ohio, you know, kind of how he grew up with his grandmother while his mom fought addiction. I mean, he's really a big part of Trump's appeal to working-class voters.
RASCOE: So why did the campaign choose to debut its official nominees in Michigan?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it's really such an important state. I mean, you noted this - that the campaign is looking to cut into Democrats' advantage in so-called blue wall states - Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won Michigan in 2016, but Biden flipped it four years later. Trump and his campaign see an opportunity to win back the state.
RASCOE: It was a big crowd. What did it feel like inside the arena?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, you've been to these rallies. It was very high energy. I asked some folks there whether they had any reservations to come to the rally just a week after the shooting. Everyone I spoke to said, no. Dana Farley (ph) - she's a local schoolteacher. She said it was important to show Trump that they had his back.
DANA FARLEY: He's fighting for us. We need to fight for him. That man has been through hell. He even dodged a bullet. What does that tell you?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, like so many (ph), she and her friend were just so excited to be there. I mean, no one showed any concern about security that I could see. And like at the convention, they were all very positive and confident about how the race was going.
RASCOE: At the convention, Trump said that he wasn't going to talk about the shooting anymore. Did he stick to that?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, he brought it up within about 5 minutes. Though, I'll say, he didn't go into nearly as much detail. He thanked God. He said he was lucky to be alive. I mean, he even cited the shooting when attacking Biden and the Democrats.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DONALD TRUMP: They keep saying, he's a threat to democracy. I'm saying, what the hell did I do for democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for democracy.
ORDOÑEZ: And he criticized the Biden administration a lot - political persecutions, invasions at the border.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: They're dumping their criminals into the United States of America, and we're not gonna take it anymore.
ORDOÑEZ: And look - he didn't provide any evidence of that claim, but he really doesn't have to. I mean, his crowd doesn't care. I mean, they just seem willing to fight for them.
RASCOE: There was a big focus on unity following the shooting. Did that show up in his speech last night?
ORDOÑEZ: It really didn't. I mean, this was really back to classic Trump. After the first few minutes talking about last weekend's attempt on his life, he really moved on. He promised the largest deportation operation in history. He repeated the lie that 2020 was rigged, and he said he wouldn't let it happen again. That led to tons of big chants - so not much unity.
RASCOE: The campaign also released a letter updating some of Trump's care.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. That was from - that was written by Texas Congressman, Trump political ally Ronny Jackson, who served as Trump's White House physician. He said it produced a two-centimeter wound. And that is whyTrump was still wearing a bandage. It's still bleeding. Although, a smaller beige-colored one is what he was wearing on Saturday.
RASCOE: You're saying that a bullet struck Trump's ear. That's what Ronny Jackson said.
ORDOÑEZ: Correct.
RASCOE: That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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