Trump visits Michigan at first public rally since assassination

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Former President Donald Trump will be in Grand Rapids on Saturday to hold his first public rally since the failed assassination attempt over the weekend.

The rally begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 20, at the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids. Trump and his running mate, Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, will deliver remarks.

Doors to the venue at 130 Fulton St. W will open at 1 p.m. Interested parties can purchase general admission tickets at this link.

Trump’s campaign said the stop in Grand Rapids would be the former president’s first rally since accepting the Republican nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week.

While it will not be Trump’s first public appearance, it will be his first public rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt on Saturday, July 13, while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania.

It was not immediately clear what additional security measures would come into effect on Saturday.

Related: Reactions from Michigan officials and lawmakers to the alleged assassination attempt on Trump

Trump was last in Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city, on April 2, when he addressed an invitation-only crowd of about 120 people at the DeVos Place Convention Center in downtown Grand Rapids.

This visit came shortly after Grand Rapids resident Ruby Garcia was allegedly murdered by a Mexican citizen living illegally in the United States.

In his speeches, Trump painted a grim picture of an “invasion” of migrants entering the country illegally and committing crimes. He promised the crowd that on his first day back he would seal the border and conduct the “largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”

Related: “Bloodbath and chaos”: Trump attacks Biden’s border policy after killing in Grand Rapids

Trump continues to lead President Joe Biden in the swing state of Michigan, according to polling averages compiled by The New York Times. The latest averages, as of July 16, show Trump leading Biden by 3% in the state, with Trump at 46% and Biden at 43%.

Biden was last in Michigan on Friday, July 12, where he spoke to more than 2,000 supporters at Renaissance High School in Detroit. Trump’s last stop in Michigan was also Detroit, where he appeared at a black church and participated in a panel discussion.

In a press release announcing the rally, representatives of the Trump campaign team attacked Biden over the issues of inflation, immigration and taxes.

“Joe Biden’s failed policies have left a trail of death and devastation in Michigan,” Trump campaign officials said. “President Trump will ease the financial pressure on households and restore law and order in Michigan!”

“We can make America great again by fighting lawlessness head-on, stopping the endless flow of illegal immigrants across our southern border, and reversing the harmful effects of inflation by restoring prosperity to the American people.”