What Donald Trump told the woman who fainted at his North Carolina rally - and what she said back to him

Donald Trump comforted an elderly supporter and told her to 'drink plenty of water' after she fainted at his North Carolina rally. 

The former president, 78, stopped his speech on Wednesday and left his bulletproof glass protection to approach the woman after she collapsed. 

As a medic helped her and handed her a bottle of water, Trump said: 'Hi darling, are you okay? Drink plenty of water.' 

She appeared stunned that she came face-to-face with Trump, as she could be heard responding: 'Oh my gosh, I'm fine. 

'I'm just an old woman and I had to come see you,' she added. 

The moment spread rapidly across social media as viewers noted that Trump abandoned his bulletproof glass protection - a new precaution as it was his first outside rally since the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania last month. 

When his supporter collapsed, Trump was speaking about how he sponsored athletes during his business days, but stopped as people in the crowd could be heard shouting 'medic!' 

Trump added from the podium: 'A doctor, please...' 

It is not clear what medical emergency the supporter was suffering, however she appeared to be okay and told Trump she was 'fine.' 

The former president speculated that high temperatures were the cause, as he said before wading into the crowd that 'it is very hot here, I notice.' 

'It is very hot. A lot of the people waited for days to get here. I understand it. Take your time, doctor, take your time, thank you,' he continued. 

Trump watched the unfolding drama for a few more moments and then left the lectern, walked to the side of the stage, descended the stairs, and headed over to the crowd, accompanied by Secret Service agents.

After embracing the struggling supporter, Trump returned to the stage and praised his fans for camping out for a long time to catch a glimpse of him at his events. 

'You know, they come two, three days early and it's a lot of stress, we lose them,' he said. 

'The only ones we don't lose are the front row Joes, I don't know what they have going, they have something going here.'

He added: 'Thank you very much. thanks doctor.' 

The decision to speak behind bulletproof glass came after the assassination attempt last month, where Trump was shot in the ear as he narrowly avoided death. 

For his first outside speech since the July 13 shooting, at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame, storage containers were also stacked around the perimeter to create additional walls and block sight lines.

Snipers were positioned on roofs at the venue, where old aircraft were sitting behind the podium and a large American flag was suspended from cranes.

The event, billed as being focused on national security issues, is part of Trump's weeklong series of counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention, which is underway in Chicago.

Allies have been urging Trump to focus on policy instead of personal attacks as he struggles to adjust to running against Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

During his speech Trump railed against Vice President Kamala Harris' approach to national security.

He told a raucous crowd: 'The world is on fire, and Kamala and Biden have marched us to the brink of World War III. 

Trump blamed the current White House for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, and wars between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas.