United States

Donald Trump made a bold statement about the two assassination attempts he has faced. The former US president, who is vying for a second term in the White House, while campaigning on Tuesday (Sep 17) boasted that "only consequential presidents get shot at".

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'You wonder why I get shot at, right?'

Speaking at his first campaign event since the shooting at his golf course in Florida, Trump drew a link between the foiled assassination bid against him and his pledge to slap heavy tariffs on imports of cars from Mexico and China.

Also read | 'I will NEVER SURRENDER': Donald Trump 'safe and well' after second assassination attempt in two months

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"And then you wonder why I get shot at, right? You know, only consequential presidents get shot at," Trump said.

Depicting himself as a saviour of the US auto industry which is in competition with foreign companies, he said, "If a tragedy happens, and we don't win, there will be zero car jobs, manufacturing jobs, it will all be out of here."

Trump praises Harris

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Also at the event, Donald Trump praised his political rival, the Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

He said that she made a call to check up on him after the thwarted assassination attempt and that the Vice President "could not have been nicer".

Harris, who was campaigning in Pennsylvania, another swing state, in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) said, "I checked on him to see if he was OK. And I told him what I have said publicly -- there's no place for political violence in our country."

Also read | Donald Trump says will meet 'fantastic' Indian PM Narendra Modi next week

Who does Trump blame for the attack?

Even as he praised her for reaching out Trump has indirectly blamed Harris and US President Joe Biden. He has said that the would-be shooter was a follower of what he labelled as Biden and Harris' rhetoric that insists Trump is a threat to the US democracy.

(With inputs from agencies)