Former United States President and Republican candidate in the November 5 election, Donald Trump, says only significant presidents get shot at.

Trump stated this as he resumed campaigning Tuesday for the first time since a second apparent attempt on his life

He also commended Kamala Harris for making a phone call to check on him.

The former president spoke at a town hall meeting with fervent supporters in Flint, a beleaguered industrial city that was once a jewel of the US automotive industry in swing state Michigan, before factories closed due to foreign competition.

The Republican drew a link between what the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, called a foiled assassination bid on him Sunday at his golf course in Florida and his pledge to slap heavy tariffs on imports of cars from Mexico and China.

“And then you wonder why I got shot at, right? You know, only consequential presidents get shot at,” Trump said.

While campaigning in another swing state, Pennsylvania, Trump’s election rival Harris said Tuesday she had reached out to the former president after the thwarted attack.

“I checked on him to see if he was OK. And I told him what I have said publicly — there’s no place for political violence in our country,” Harris said.