Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will return on Saturday to Butler, Pennsylvania, the rural site where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt earlier this year. The rally, held exactly one month before the crucial November 5 election, will be a significant event in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Tesla CEO and social media platform X owner Elon Musk, a staunch ally of Trump, will attend the rally. This marks Musk’s first appearance at a Trump campaign event since endorsing him after the harrowing July 13 attempt on the former president’s life. Also joining Trump will be his vice-presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, as well as the family of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was tragically killed during the attack.
The July rally in Butler turned near-fatal for Trump when a bullet whizzed by his head, grazing his right ear and causing it to bleed. The incident revealed alarming lapses in security and prompted significant changes to protect Trump at future events, including the use of bulletproof glass at his outdoor rallies. Trump later reflected on the incident, crediting a sudden turn of his head to look at a chart on the big screen as the reason he survived. His bloodied face and raised fist became an enduring image from that day.
The July attack was the first of two assassination attempts on Trump. On September 15, a gunman managed to hide undetected for nearly 12 hours at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, before being thwarted by the US Secret Service. Both incidents have shaken the campaign and raised concerns about the security surrounding Trump.
Trump spoke earlier this week about his decision to return to Butler, stating that he felt “an obligation” to go back. “We never finished what we were supposed to do,” he told NewsNation in an interview. His return to the site of the shooting is expected to be an emotional and symbolic moment for his followers, many of whom view the assassination attempts as attacks on their movement.
Shane Chesher, 37, an attendee of the July rally who witnessed the assassination attempt from the stage, said returning to Butler will be a deeply emotional experience. “Honestly, I don’t know that I understand still to this day what we experienced that day,” Chesher said in an interview. “Returning will be spiritual, and I think it will be very emotional, good and bad.”
The shooting in Butler led to widespread criticism of the US Secret Service and ultimately resulted in the resignation of its director. Critics questioned how the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by Secret Service agents, managed to gain access to a nearby rooftop with a clear line of sight to Trump. A Secret Service investigation revealed communication failures and inadequate diligence ahead of the event, leading to sweeping reforms in the agency’s protocols.
Ahead of Saturday’s rally, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi reassured the public that “comprehensive changes and enhancements” have been made to the agency’s operations.
For Trump, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state, with both him and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, eyeing its electoral votes as critical for victory. Republican officials are hoping that Trump’s return to Butler, where he faced mortal danger, will rally his base and boost voter turnout.
As Trump takes the stage in Butler once again, this time under tighter security, the event will undoubtedly carry the weight of both tragedy and triumph for the former president and his supporters.
(With agency inputs)