Speaking at his first outdoor rally since surviving an assassination attempt, former President Trump said he “stopped a war with a phone call” while he was commander in chief.
Trump held a campaign event in Asheboro, North Carolina on Wednesday, where he focused his speech on national security and how “the whole world was safer when I sat behind that beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.”
“The world is on fire. Kamala and Biden have brought us to the brink of World War III,” Trump said from a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass.
Reflecting on the national security situation under his administration, the former president said, “Our allies respected us” but “Our enemies feared us.”
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An outdoor stage covered in bulletproof glass was set up as supporters gathered to hear former President Trump speak at a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday. (Julia Nickinson)
“We defeated ISIS. We killed the world's top terrorist. We secured our borders. We achieved energy independence. We stood up to China. We protected Israel. We brought peace to the Middle East with things like the Abraham Accords. We did things you've never heard of,” Trump said.
“I've stopped a lot of wars in this world with my phone calls. There's no need to send in troops,” he told the crowd.
Trump pointed to President Biden's shaky withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israel, suggesting none of these would have happened under his command.
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“Since the disaster in Afghanistan, the ban on attacks against America and our allies has been lifted,” he said of the withdrawal that left 13 U.S. soldiers dead.
Security guards are on duty ahead of a rally for former President Trump in Asheboro, North Carolina on Wednesday (Photo by Julia Nickinson/AP)
Trump's running mate, Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, also spoke at the event, calling Trump “the man who prevented nuclear war.”
“Nasty tweets and world peace have a pretty nice ring to them. We should bring that back immediately,” Vance told a cheering crowd. “He was too tough for the tyrants of the world. He was too tough for the assassins' bullets. Ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to a time when our bravest men led our country strong.”
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, addresses the crowd at a campaign rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. (Andy Manis/Getty Images)
During his speech, President Trump referred to revised employment numbers after new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the U.S. will create 818,000 fewer jobs this year than previously reported.
“The Harris-Biden Administration has been found to have rigged jobs statistics to hide the true extent of the economic devastation it has brought to America,” Trump said.
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Trump and Vance's event took place ahead of the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.
