BUTLER, Pennsylvania — Under a heavy security presence and from behind bullet-proof glass, former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, to honor the memory of a rallygoer who was killed three months ago by a bullet that barely missed him, but galvanized his base.
“I return to Butler in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache to deliver a simple message to the people of Pennsylvania and the people of America: our movement to Make America Great Again stands stronger, prouder, more united, more determined, and nearer to victory than ever before,” Trump told a crowd of thousands Saturday at Butler Family Farms.
“Exactly 12 weeks ago this evening, on this very ground, a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and to silence the greatest movement, MAGA, in the history of our country,” he said. “But by the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal.”
Trump praised former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, who died trying to protect his wife and daughter on July 13 when Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire on the crowd in the small Western Pennsylvania town. Comperatore’s fire uniform, as it was during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, was prominently displayed for all to see.
“This field is now a monument to the valor of our first responders, to the resilience of our fellow citizens, and to the sacrifice of a loving and devoted father, Corey Comperatore,” Trump said. “Forever after, all who have visited this hallowed place will remember what happened here and they will know of the character and courage that so many incredible American patriots have showed.”
Chants of “Corey, Corey, Corey!” rippled through the crowd before it participated in a moment of silence to Ave Maria for Comperatore and the rallygoers who were injured during Trump’s first assassination attempt.
Trump then returned to his Pennsylvania stump speech, promising, among other things, that his second administration would “frack like we’ve never fracked before.” Energy policy is a wedge issue in the Keystone State.
“I will never bend, I will never break, I will never yield, not even in the face of death,” Trump said. “Who wants open borders? Who wants men playing women’s sports? Who wants sex change operations for illegal aliens?”
Trump did not spare Democrats, alleging they have “slandered” him, “impeached” him, “indicted” him, tried to deny him ballot access, and “maybe even tried to kill [him].”
Of Vice President Kamala Harris, he added, “She ruined San Francisco, she ruined the state of California, and now she wants to ruin the United States of America.”
Billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who has been using his social media platform X to promote Trump and criticize President Joe Biden and now Harris, was in attendance and addressed the crowd, saying he had gone “Dark MAGA,” a reference to his black MAGA hat, and underscoring the importance of voting.
“The true test of one’s character is how they behave under fire,” Musk said. “We had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist-pumping after getting shot.”
Trump was introduced by singer Lee Greenwood, who sang the former president’s walk-up song “God Bless the USA” in person instead of over the sound system. Shortly afterward, one member of the crowd near the press pen needled “the globalist” media, claiming he would “take a bullet” for Trump.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s vice presidential nominee, was also part of the program, warmly welcomed to chants of “J.D., J.D., J.D.” Vance, fresh off of his vice presidential debate this week against Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), described Saturday as a “historic day” and one that the crowd would “remember forever.”
“You heard the shots, you saw the blood, we all feared the worst,” Vance said.
Vance used the platform to blame Democrats for the raised political temperature, contending at least Trump was the democratically elected Republican presidential nominee as opposed to Harris, despite the vice president repeating that Trump is the “threat to democracy.”
“Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy, what the hell have you done?” Vance asked of Harris.
Vance scrutinized Harris for her record of inaction as vice president, citing Hurricane Helene as the most recent instance.
Eric Trump, in his remarks, similarly undermined Harris for the Biden administration’s natural disaster response, particularly since battlegrounds North Carolina and Georgia have been devastated by the storm. His father had earlier compared Helene to former President George W. Bush‘s Katrina in 2005.
Eric Trump’s wife Lara, who is co-chair of the Republican National Committee, emphasized the importance of election integrity. Campaign staff and grassroots organizers were handing out cards with a voter fraud hotline number on it throughout the day.
Crowds, some wearing their best Trump get-up, started gathering at Butler Family Farms long before the gates opened at 10 a.m., with people bringing picnic rugs and buying snacks at the food trucks parked on the grounds, creating a carnival-like atmosphere, irrespective of the tragedy that had prompted Trump’s return. Campaign staff distributed water, though medical assistance was required multiple times to tend to those who had overheated under the 70-plus Fahrenheit sun.
One month before the election, Trump and Harris are locked in a tight race for the White House. Although Harris has an edge in national polls, surveys of voters in the seven battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina reveal that the contest is too close to call. In the Keystone State, Trump and Harris are tied, according to RealClearPolitics‘s averages of the pair’s head-to-head polling.
The election is in a different place from when Trump emerged in the immediate confusion after Crooks fired his weapon with a bloodied face because the shooter had managed to graze the former president’s ear with a bullet. The then-undisputed front-runner had turned his head toward an illegal immigration numbers chart as Crooks pulled his trigger.
“I love that chart,” Trump said on Saturday.
Before U.S. Secret Service agents surrounded Trump and rushed him from the stage and to safety, the former president instructed them to wait so he could get his shoe and raise his fist and shout, “Fight, fight, fight!”
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The same chant would echo around the Republican National Convention days later, with convention attendees bandaging their own ears in a demonstration of solidarity with Trump, and in Butler again on Saturday.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July amid public pressure over the Butler assassination attempt. Congress passed legislation last week to fund the federal government until Dec. 20, which included $231 million in additional money for the Secret Service, as an independent investigation is ongoing into that incident and a second assassination attempt last month in Florida.
