Trump, in first rally since Butler, says he 'took a bullet for democracy'

(The Center Square) – In his first campaign trail stop since surviving an assassination attempt and accepting the party nomination at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump on Saturday appealed to auto workers in Michigan.

Mixing usual talking points on the economy and immigration, he also rose up against the "threat to democracy" chatter from his opponent.

“They keep saying, ‘He’s a threat to democracy,’" Trump told thousands inside Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids, the state's second-largest city. "I’m saying, ‘What the hell did I do for democracy?’ Last week I took a bullet for democracy.”

Later, in a moment of humor and his faith, he credited both God and the immigration chart he turned to look at before the bullet grazed him as his reason for survival.

“So, I owe immigration my life,” he deadpanned.

U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, needed just three minutes to introduce him. And Trump took the next 100-plus. Covering his injured right ear was a beige-colored bandage, smaller than when he was last seen at the convention.

About an hour before he took the stage, a statement from Dr. Ronny Jackson said recovery is going well, a full CT scan of his head was done at Bulter Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania, and a comprehensive hearing exam will be forthcoming.

The line waiting outside to get in stretched more than 2 miles, wrapping around the freeway exit ramp by 1:30 in the afternoon, four hours before Trump spoke.

Throughout the event, the former president drew cheers, laughs and loud applause. At one point, he called up a supporter from the crowd wearing a United Auto Workers T-shirt.

Early on, Trump polled the crowd on which Democrat he should run against, pointing out the party’s instability of support for President Joe Biden. Trump mentioned Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer , telling the audience, “You have a terrible governor here. I’d like to run against her, actually. She’s one of the 20 that are mentioned. She’s done a terrible job.”

In addition to auto workers and border protection , Trump pledged to cut energy bills in half, reduce crime, remove taxes on tips, and lower inflation if elected. He also spent considerable time speaking about energy policy under the Biden administration.

“They don’t know what the hell they’re doing," he said. "They’re incompetent. That’s the threat to democracy. It’s a threat to our country.”

He also called the Green New Deal the “green scam.” He said America would not only become energy independent, but energy dominant. And he pointed to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as pivotal.

“Environment is very important to me, but you can’t use it to destroy a country,” he said, referring to drilling bans in what is known as ANWR.

Drawing boos and laughter from the crowd, Trump mocked the Biden administration’s plan to make Army tanks electric.

“So when we go to bomb the hell out of a country, we do it in an environmentally-friendly way,” he quipped.

Trump, pointing to an endorsement from Elon Musk , clarified that he’s not against electric vehicles. He is against mandating manufacturers to make more than the market dictates.

“I’m a person with great common sense, not an extremist,” he said, drawing enthusiastic assent from the crowd.

Speaking of Project 2025, Trump said it’s from the far, far right and that he is not associated with it.

“I don’t know what the hell it is,” he said. “It is extreme, but I don’t know anything about it, and I don’t want to know anything about it.”

Trump also tied foreign policy to national security, another big theme during the event. He talked of reciprocal tariffs, promising that countries like Mexico and North Korea “will fear us” as they did during his presidency.

He continued to hype party unity, saying Republicans left Milwaukee, Wis., together as never before.

"We've never been so determined," he said. "Bad things happened last time. We're not going to let them happen this time. We will never stop working to deliver a magnificent future for our people, and together we will fight, fight, fight, right? And we will win, win, win."