Donald Trump is about to speak at a Republican rally almost exactly a week after the failed assassination bid in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump is holding his first joint rally with Vice-Presidential hopeful Senator JD Vance in Grand Rapids, Michigan today.
Thousands of Trump supporters have descended on the area earlier in the day, with queues to the event spanning multiple city blocks.
A week ago local gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on the former President at his rally in Pennsylvania, grazing his ear with a bullet.
One supporter Corey Comperatore was killed and two others were critically injured.
Crooks was fatally shot by a US Security Services sniper.
Security for today’s rally was notably intense outside the Van Andel Arena, with the event inside, after the US Security Service was accused of failing to ensure Trump’s safety last week with questions remaining over how…was able to get on the roof of a building 150 metres away with an automatic rifle.
Trucks were seen to block off streets near the venue with large fencing put up outside.
Police patrols were seen around the perimeter on bicycles and horseback.
Grand Rapids police chief Eric Winstrom said: “We are approaching Saturday’s event in the same way we do for the myriad events, large and small, that take place in Grand Rapids – with solid operational planning, effective resource deployment, and an unwavering commitment to the safety of the community we serve.”
Today’s event is the first rally since Trump officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earlier in the week.
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