Former President Donald Trump plans to return Saturday to the scene where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, in what is now a near-constant physical act to fulfill a promise that is truly an obligation. He recently told the public he was willing to put aside concerns about safety. Originally from Butler, Pennsylvania.
I’d probably start by saying, “As I was saying…” the Republican presidential candidate said, noting that a bullet hit Mr. Trump in the ear, cutting his speech short and knocking him off the stage with a fist high. He joked about it with a bit of dark humor. Blood dripped down my face.
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President Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, is also scheduled to attend the Butler Farm Show, as is billionaire Elon Musk, with only 30 days left in the tight campaign. Now, President Trump’s return to the US is likely to generate headlines. to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The campaign predicts tens of thousands of people will attend the event, billed as a “tribute to the American spirit.” Local hotels, motels and inns were fully booked, and some eager rally participants had already arrived Friday, according to a local Facebook page.
“President Trump looks forward to returning to Butler, Pennsylvania, to honor the victims of that tragic day,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt. “The president’s willingness to join us in returning to Butler reflects the strength and resiliency of the American people.” .
President Trump will use the event at 5 p.m. ET to remember volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was attacked and killed at a July 13 rally, and two other injured rally attendees, David. A memorial will be held for Mr. Dutch and Mr. James Copenhaver. They and Trump were shocked when Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old shooter from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from a nearby unsecured rooftop and was later shot and killed by a sniper.
How Mr. Crooks was able to outwit police and scramble to the roof of a building within easy shooting distance of the former president that day is the worst Secret Service security in decades. It’s one of the countless unanswered questions about failure. The other thing is his motive, which has not yet been revealed.
Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger told WPXI-TV this week that everyone is redoubling their efforts to ensure this is done safely and accurately.
County Sheriff Mike Throop told the agency that the Secret Service, which is waging a desperate bid to respond to two attempts on President Trump’s life, has committed four times as much resources as it did in July. He said he estimates that there are.
Butler County is on the western edge of a highly coveted presidential battleground state and is President Trump’s home base. He won in the county in both 2016 and 2020, winning about 66 percent of the vote and with an impressive turnout of around 80 percent. Of Butler County’s 139,000 registered voters, about 57 percent are Republicans, compared to about 29 percent Democrats and Republicans. 14 percent is something else.
Three months later, the townspeople are divided over the value of his return. Heidi Priest, a Butler resident who started a Facebook group supporting Harris, said Trump’s previous visit inflamed political tensions in the city.
Every time I see people supporting him and being excited that he’s here, it scares people who don’t want to see him reelected, she said.
But if Trump wants to win Pennsylvania in November, he will need to boost turnout in conservative strongholds like overwhelmingly white Butler County. Harris has also targeted Pennsylvania, holding repeated rallies there as part of her aggressive campaign in the key battleground state.
(Only the headline and photo in this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication date: October 5, 2024 | 11:43 AM IST