Donald Trump on Saturday returned to the Butler, Pa., rally site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July.
“Tonight I return to Butler in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache to deliver a simple message to the people of Pennsylvania and to the people of America,” the Republican presidential nominee said. “Our movement to make America great again, stand stronger, prouder, more united, more determined, and nearer to victory than ever before.”
The Trump campaign wanted to maximize the event’s headline-grabbing potential with just 30 days to go in his race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump said the would-be assassin, “a vicious monster,” had tried to silence him.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, got on stage at the Butler Farm Show grounds to speak before the former president.
“You heard the shots. You saw the blood. We all feared the worst. But you knew everything would be OK when President Trump raised his fist high in the air and shouted, ‘fight, fight!’” said Vance, who was chosen as his vice presidential nominee less than two days later. “Now I believe it as sure as I’m standing here today that what happened was a true miracle.”
A large crowd stood shoulder to shoulder from the stage to the press stand several hundred yards away. Crowds were lined up as the sun rose Saturday. Trump’s plane did flybys over the venue before his arrival, drawing cheers from the crowd.
There was a heightened security presence, with armed law enforcement in camouflage uniforms on roofs. The July shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., opened fire from an unsecured rooftop before he was fatally shot by sharpshooters. On Saturday, that building was completely obscured by tractor trailers, a large grassy perimeter and a fence. Most bleachers were now at the sides, rather than behind Trump.
How Crooks managed to outmaneuver law enforcement that day is among many questions that remain unanswered about the Secret Service security failure. Another is his motive.
Butler County Dist. Atty. Rich Goldinger told WPXI-TV this week that “everyone is doubling down on their efforts to make sure this is done safely and correctly.”
Mike Slupe, the county sheriff, told the station he estimates the Secret Service was deploying ”quadruple the assets” it did in July.
A memorial for firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died at the July 13 rally as he shielded family members from gunfire, was set up in the bleachers, his firefighter’s jacket set up on display surrounded by flowers. His sisters cried as speakers mentioned him.
Terri Palmquist came to the rally from Bakersfield and said her 18-year-old daughter tried to dissuade her. “I just figure we need to not let fear control us,” she said.
She said she was not worried about her own safety.
“Honesty, I believe God’s got Trump, for some reason. I do. So we’re rooting for him.”
Associated Press writers Smyth and Colvin reported from Butler, and Gomez Licon from Fort Lauderdale, Fa.