Thousands of Trump supporters flock to Michigan for first campaign rally since assassination attempt one week ago

Thousand of Donald Trump supporters descended on Grand Rapids, MI on Saturday for the first campaign rally of the former president since the failed assassination attempt one week ago in Butler, PA. 

Crowds of Trump loyalists started lining up in downtown early in the morning and by early afternoon, the line to get into the event spanned multiple city blocks as people came from all over Michigan and out of state to see the Republican presidential nominee speak. 

Security for the rally was intense outside the Van Andel Arena. Dump trucks blocked off streets around the venue while fencing had also been erected outside. 

Local and state police patrolled the perimeter on bicycles and and horseback. 

This is the first rally since a gunman opened fire at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania one week ago, grazing the former president's ear with a bullet, killing one rally-goer Corey Comperatore and critically injuring two others. 

The gunman was immediately taken out by a sniper but the horrific shooting has raised questions about how a man with a gun was able to get so close to Trump as the election season heats up. 

Trump supporters chanted 'fight, fight, fight' as they waited in line for his rally, a reference to the former president's words when he stood up after the failed assassination attempt last week in Pennsylvania. The event in Grand Rapids is his first rally since the shooting and security has been intensified

Unlike the rally in Pennsylvania, Trump's rally in Michigan will be held indoors. There has also been a ramp up of federal, state and local law enforcement for the event as officials consider the best approach to security moving forward. 

'We are approaching Saturday’s event in the same way we do for the myriad events, large and small, that take place in Grand Rapids – with solid operational planning, effective resource deployment, and an unwavering commitment to the safety of the community we serve,' Grand Rapids police chief Eric Winstrom said ahead of the rally.

Secret Service monitoring the crowds Saturday outside the Trump rally venue. Federal, state and local law enforcement were all on the scene to provide security for the rally

Police monitoring the scene outside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids from the roof of another building

 Trucks blocking off the streets around the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids ahead of Donald Trump's rally on Saturday 

Attendees lined up outside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids to hear Trump speak on Saturday. Some told DailyMail.com they arrived in the early hours of the morning to make sure they got inside

Fences had been erected around the arena ahead of Trump's visit to Grand Rapids, MI

Rally-goers told DailyMail.com they were not concerned about security ahead of the Grand Rapids rally and were excited to attend. Many brought lawn chairs to sit in while waiting to get into the arena. It's the first rally since Trump officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday in Milwaukee

Mounted police officers patrolling before Trump spoke in Grand Rapids, MI. Officers received applause as they walked by from the crowd

Law enforcement officer were applauded by the immense crowd waiting to get into the event as they made their way put and down the streets of Grand Rapids. 

The event on Saturday is the first rally since Trump officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

It is also the first rally since Trump chose Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance will be making his first appearance as the GOP vice presidential nominee at the rally alongside Trump. 

Despite the horrific events of a week ago, MAGA enthusiasts told DailyMail.com they were not concerned Saturday as they started lining up to get into the Van Andel Arena early Saturday morning. Some brought their own lawn chairs and other ways to stay relaxed as they waited outside the venue. 

 'I think after what happened last weekend, I felt like this was a historical moment to be here,' said Andrea Myaad from Holland, MI. She is a longtime Trump supporter but this was her first time attending a rally. 

Trump rally attendees told DailyMail.com that they had been lining up since very early Saturday morning in the hopes of getting into the former president's first campaign rally since last week's shooting

Steve Dougan from just outside Lansing, MI has attended three other Trump rallies before heading over to the Grand Rapids one on Saturday. 

'I'm extremely concerned about what happened last week - the colossal failure of planning and strategic enforcement,' Dougan said as he waited in line. 

He plans to tune in for the hearings on Capitol Hill about the failed assassination attempt as lawmakers prepare to grill Secret Service Kimberly Cheatle about the security failures on Monday. 

Dougan praised Trump's reaction after shots were fired when he got up and raised his fist in the air as 'amazing.'

'How many presidents in history would have had the courage to have done that?' he said. 

Rally-goers were sporting shirts with the image of Trump raising his fist after standing back up after the shooting in Butler, PA

Former president Donald Trump raising his fist after the failed assassination attempt in Butler, PA on Saturday July 13, 2024

A man waiting in line to enter the Trump rally wearing a shirt with the image of Trump in Butler, PA

 The Grand Rapids rally would be Sue De Young's seventh rally. She said she cried over the shooting last week in Pennsylvania, and she could not wait to attend the Michigan one. 

'I'm just so proud of Trump and how he came through it all,' she said. He's just a fighter, and I'm so excited to see him again. I think he has a really good chance of winning now.'

In addition to the regular MAGA wear at the Trump rallies, many of the event-goers on Saturday were wearing t-shirts with the image of the former president raising his fist in Butler, PA. Many of the new shirts also included the words 'fight, fight, fight.'

One woman told DailyMail.com she ordered hers online just days after the shooting. 

Attendees also had a new rallying cry as they waiting in line to enter the event. Rounds of the chant 'fight, fight, fight' could be heard numerous times as people waited hours to get in.