Donald Trump dropped the protection of his newly installed bulletproof glass to check on a member of his audience who needed medical attention.
Trump was in turmoil at a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, his first outdoor event since surviving an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the crowd and people shouted ‘Medic!’.
Trump, who was talking about UFC and boxing, stood and watched.
Then he said into the microphone, “A doctor, please…”
Trump leaves the stage and heads to the crowd
Trump hugs one of his supporters who needed medical attention
It was not immediately clear what the medical emergency was.
After a pause, Trump continued: “It’s very hot here, I can tell. It’s very hot. A lot of people have been waiting for days to get here. I understand. Take your time, Doctor, take your time, thank you.”
Trump watched the unfolding drama for a few more moments, then left the lectern, walked to the side of the stage, descended the stairs and walked toward the crowd with Secret Service agents.
Trump on stage for supporter’s medical emergency
Trump leaves bulletproof glass protection to face crowd
Security forces members stand guard on the day of a campaign rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump at Asheboro Regional Airport in Asheboro, North Carolina, U.S., August 21, 2024
This put him outside the protection of the bulletproof glass that had been installed around the stage to thwart further assassination attempts.
He then leaned over a barrier and hugged a woman in the crowd, who appeared to be recovering and drinking a bottle of water.
When he returned to the podium, Trump said, “You know, they come two, three days early and that’s a lot of stress, we lose them. The only ones we don’t lose are the front row Joes, I don’t know what they do, they have something to do here.”
He added: ‘Thank you very much. Thank you, doctor.’