ASHEBORO — Increased security measures were evident as Donald J. Trump and a crowd of thousands gathered Wednesday for the former president’s first outdoor rally since he survived an assassination attempt last month.

Much has changed behind the scenes since July 13, when Trump was grazed by a bullet at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack killed a spectator in the stands behind Trump and seriously wounded two others.

A congressional investigation into security lapses has begun, the U.S. Secret Service detail assigned to Trump has grown in number and the agency’s director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, has since resigned.

“American presidential candidates must be able to campaign as they see fit and choose while remaining safe,” said Dallas Woodhouse, state director of American Majority and a former executive director of the North Carolina Republican Party. “The Secret Service has to make that happen.”

Onstage at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, the 45th president spoke from behind a barrier of  bulletproof glass. The Washington Post reported on Aug. 15 that the Secret Service had secured ballistic glass to use at future outdoor events as well. 

The bolstering of Trump’s protective detail came from shifting part of the team assigned to President Joe Biden, which became possible due to Biden’s reduced travel schedule after he ended his bid for a second term in office, an unnamed official told the newspaper.

Large storage containers and semi trailers were used to block distant views of the stage. The area directly behind the stage — an airport runway on which several vintage planes were parked, as well as the woods beyond — was not obstructed.

A man who lived nearby said the wooded area had drawn special attention by security officers leading up to the event. “There have been people in those woods for days,” Johnpaul Harris, a 79-year-old retired sculptor, said.

The area was also watched over by sniper teams posted on the roofs of the buildings on both sides of the stage. The threat to Trump in Pennsylvania ended with the shooter being killed by a Secret Service sniper. 

One perceived weakness of the Pennsylvania security plan — failing to use drones to watch nearby rooftops — was apparently addressed in Asheboro. A drone could be seen hovering to the northwest of the site for several minutes before Trump took the stage Wednesday.

The Secret Service declined to comment on any changes in its approach to outdoor security for Trump. “In order to maintain the highest level of safety, we simply can’t go into specifics on any enhanced security efforts or our protective means and methods,” spokesperson Melissa McKenzie said in an email to State Affairs.

Unlike the Pennsylvania campaign stop, where onlookers outside the event could see the proceedings, Wednesday’s event could only be seen by attendees who had passed through metal detectors. With Trump scheduled to speak at 2 p.m., supporters began lining up at 7:30 a.m. 

Several hundred people were still working their way through security at 3:10 p.m., an hour into Trump’s speech. 

About an hour after the event concluded, local police cited a 79-year-old Hillsborough man for possessing a firearm at a parade. The man allegedly displayed the weapon during a traffic altercation, WCNC reported.

---

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Clifton Dowell at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC on X.

Know the most important news affecting North-carolina

Get our free weekly newsletter that covers government, policy and politics that impact your everyday life—in 5 minutes or less.

Sign Up