(Web Desk) - In his first campaign rally since a shooter made an attempt on his life, Donald Trump has declared he "took a bullet for democracy".
The Republican presidential candidate held an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, just seven days after surviving an assassination attempt at another rally in Pennsylvania.
He was joined by his newly minted running mate JD Vance, who along with Mr Trump was officially nominated by the party at this week's Republican National Convention (RNC).
Supporters began lining up outside the Van Andel arena from 6am local time, forming lines that snaked around 10 city blocks.
In an almost two-hour speech, Mr Trump revisited the attempt on his life, criticised President Joe Biden, and attempted to distance himself from "extremists" on the far-right.
And he made his pitch to the voters of Michigan, a swing state that could be crucial to the outcome of the election.
In 2016, Mr Trump won the state by a slim margin of 10,000, Mr Biden flipped it back in 2020, winning 154,000 votes on his way to the presidency.
Taking a less sombre tone than in his acceptance speech at the RNC, Mr Trump spoke about the assassination attempt, again crediting a sign for saving his life.
"It was exactly one week ago, even to the hour, even to the minute," he began his speech.
Mr Trump told his supporters on Thursday night (local time) that he would only recount what had happened once, as it was "too painful" to revisit.
He explained that in the seconds before a bullet grazed his ear, he had turned his head to the right to look at a chart titled "illegal immigration into the US".
In front of the Grand Rapids crowd, he brought up that chart again, declaring: "I owe immigration my life."
Mr Trump went on to describe the conservative think tank Project 2025, which is aiming to shape the policy of a second Trump presidency, as a group on the "severe right" with "radical" ideas.
"I don't know what the hell it is. I don't know anything about it. I don't want to know anything about it," he said.
"[The other side] keep saying, 'he's a threat to democracy' I'm saying, 'What the hell did I do for democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for democracy.'"