Trump said that 'Since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it's been open season on America and our allies'
Bulletproof glass protects Trump at North Carolina rally
Former President Donald Trump held his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt against him, speaking behind bulletproof glass, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.
Former President Donald Trump said that he "stopped wars with phone calls" while commander in chief during his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt.
Trump held a campaign event in Asheboro, N.C. on Wednesday, where he focused his remarks on national security and how "the entire world was safer when I sat behind that beautiful, resolute desk in the Oval Office."
"The world is on fire. And Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III," Trump said from a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.
The former president reflected on the state of national security under his administration, saying that "our allies admired us" and "our enemies feared us."
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An outdoor stage is set encased with bulletproof glass as supporters arrive to hear Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speak at a rally, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, N.C. (Julia Nikhinson)
"We defeated ISIS. We killed the world's top terrorists. We secured our borders. We achieved energy independence. We stood up to China. We protected Israel. We made peace in the Middle East with the Abraham Accords and more. We did things like nobody ever heard of it," Trump said.
"I talked this world out of a lot of wars with telephone calls. I don't have to send in the troops," he told the crowd.
Trump pointed to President Joe Biden's erratic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the devastating Oct. 7th attack on Israel - suggesting none of these things would ever have happened under his watch.
"Since the Afghanistan catastrophe, it's been open season on America and our allies," he said of the withdrawal, which saw 13 U.S. service members killed.
Security gets in position prior to Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Asheboro, N.C. Wednesday's event is the first outdoor rally Trump has held since the attempted assassination of the former president. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) (Julia Nikhinson)
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump's running mate, also spoke at the event, saying Trump was "the person who prevented nuclear war."
"Mean tweets and world peace have a pretty nice ring to it. I think we ought to bring it right back," Vance told a cheering crowd. "He's too tough for the tyrants all over the world. He was too strong, even for an assassin's bullet. Ladies and gentlemen, let's return to a time when the bravest man led this nation with strength."
Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) addresses the audience at a campaign rally on Aug. 20, 2024 in Kenosha, Wisc. Vance is campaigning in several battleground states as part of his campaign efforts. (Andy Manis)
During the speech, Trump addressed the revised job numbers after new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed there were 818,000 fewer jobs created this year than previously reported.
"The Harris Biden administration has been caught fraudulently manipulating job statistics to hide the true extent of the economic ruin that they've inflicted on America," Trump said.
The Trump-Vance event came ahead of the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.
