Trump steps outside bulletproof encasement

Former President Donald Trump risked his safety on Wednesday. 

He did so, according to the New York Post, by stepping outside of the new bulletproof enclosure that the U.S. Secret Service had created for him.

This was one of the changes that the agency made to Trump's security detail following the assassination attempt that nearly claimed Trump's life. There will be more on this in a moment,

But, first, we'll look at what happened on Wednesday.

Trump's rally comes to a halt

The incident took place on Wednesday during a campaign rally that Trump held in Asheboro, North Carolina.

There, at one point during Trump's speech, members of the crowd began calling out for medical help. Trump stopped his speech, asked "what's wrong?" before calling for a doctor. After doing so, he noted, "it is very hot here."

According to the Post, a woman who was in the stands had collapsed, presumably from the weather. Medical personnel quickly responded to the situation and helped the woman down from the stands.

It was at this point that Trump decided to leave the bulletproof enclosure and to walk over and embrace the woman. Secret Service agents surrounded him from the point when he left the enclosure to the point when he hugged the woman - and back again to the podium.

"You know, they come two days, three days early, and it’s a lot. It’s a lot of stress," Trump said upon returning to the stage.

Background

The Secret Service, following the assassination attempt, tried to get Trump to stop holding outdoor rallies, due to concerns about the risks that such events pose to Trump.

At the time, the New York Post reported:

Since the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pa., Secret Service officials have communicated the agency’s concerns about large outdoor events featuring Trump to his campaign advisers, encouraging them to no longer hold the 78-year-old Republican nominee for president’s rallies out in the open . . .

Trump, though, did not want to give up these rallies.

"I WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUTDOOR RALLIES, AND SECRET SERVICE HAS AGREED TO SUBSTANTIALLY STEP UP THEIR OPERATION. THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF DOING SO. NO ONE CAN EVER BE ALLOWED TO STOP OR IMPEDE FREE SPEECH OR GATHERING!!!" Trump wrote.

It was just recently that the Secret Service revealed that Trump, from now on, will be enclosed in bulletproof glass during outdoor rallies. Wednesday's outing was one of the first to use the enclosure.