'Only consequential presidents get shot at,’ Trump says at rally

WASHINGTON

Former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump resumed his campaign in Michigan on Tuesday, just days after surviving a second assassination attempt.

Speaking at a rally in Flint alongside Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, he said: "And then you wonder why I get shot at. You know, only consequential presidents get shot at."

Trump reflected on the dangers of the presidency, adding "it's a dangerous business, however, being president."

Sanders condemned the attempt on Trump's life, calling it a "horrific attack."

She praised his resilience, saying "you've literally taken a bullet for our country, and yet you keep fighting. You never give up. The reason that you're going to win in November is because America needs a fighter."

Trump also said that he had a “very nice conversation” with President Joe Biden on Monday, adding that he also got a “very nice call” from his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, on Tuesday.

He also emphasized his plan to impose a 200% tariff on Chinese-made vehicles manufactured in Mexico, rendering them "unsellable" in the US market.

Trump was the target of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described as "an apparent assassination attempt" at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday.

Law enforcement officials in Florida said they apprehended the suspect after US Secret Service agents spotted him with an AK-47-style assault rifle outside Trump’s golf club.

The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested and charged with firearms offences.

The incident occurred two months after Trump was wounded during an assassination attempt on July 13, when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a lone 20-year-old gunman, opened fire on him during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, grazing his right ear.