Trump fires hard at Harris in first rally since Biden dropped out

The big picture: Trump told the crowd at the Bojangles Coliseum "they say" he became nice when he got shot. But he said he wouldn't be nice. What followed for roughly the next 90 minutes was the roast of Kamala Harris.

• Supporters walking out of the coliseum quipped in their groups that the event was good, but "long."

Driving the news: In an indication of what to expect during the campaign, Trump called Harris "crazy" multiple times and said she had destroyed San Francisco as their district attorney.

• He painted her as an extremist liberal who made Bernie Sanders look moderate.
• He accused Harris, without providing evidence, of covering up Biden's health and said she could not be trusted. He nicknamed her "Lyin' Kamala."

Zoom in: Trump dedicated much of his time on stage talking about immigration and crime. He vowed to terminate every open border policy from the Biden-Harris administration during his first day in office if he's elected.

• He spent some of his speech addressing abortion — a big issue in North Carolina, which in the past has been considered a refuge for people seeking the procedure. Trump said he supports abortion in three exceptions: rape, incest or the life of the mother. The crowd cheered.

State of play: Trump has added the assassination attempt to the list of topics he likes to bring up, like his big rally turnouts.

• Although he said during the Republican National Convention that he would not recount the shooting a second time, he didn't shy away from it in Charlotte.
• He boasted about how no one in his crowd ran away when the bullets went off.

Zoom out: Off the stage, Trump supporters embraced what Democrats criticize them for.

• "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" blared over the speakers, and loyalists donned shirts with Trump's mugshot. "I'm voting for the convicted felon," one shirt said.

The other side: In the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party office in Uptown Charlotte, the Harris campaign held a counter-event earlier in the day.

• Speakers lifted Harris' qualification, framed the blue party as a united one and painted Trump as a wanna-be dictator who would strip women's rights.

Meanwhile, top local Democrats didn't hesitate to endorse Gov. Roy Cooper as Harris' potential running mate.

• "I do like the ticket: Harris and Cooper," said Mark Jerrell, Mecklenburg County commissioner.
• Trump didn't mention Cooper at the rally, and neither did any of the opening speakers.

Go deeper: Kamala Harris takes aim at Trump, Project 2025 in Indy

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.