America's Leader Returns To Butler, PA

“Trump took a bullet for democracy”

Saturday evening, President Trump returned to the same stage^ where a Democrat activist tried to assassinate the leader of the MAGA Movement. Lee Greenwood appeared on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, opening the rally with his signature song made famous by Trump’s rallies: “Proud to Be an American” (AKA “God Bless The USA”). Rally goers would soon notice that this was a very special rally.

“A cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and silence the greatest movement, MAGA, in the history of our country,” Trump told supporters at the Butler Farm Show, the same open-air venue where a Democrat activist tried to take his life and wound up assassinating one of his supporters. “By the hand of Providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal, did not come close.”

As Trump reminisced about how the July 13th rally goers did not stampede, but stood their ground aa bullets were flying, he said: “Forever after, all who’ve visited this hallowed place will remember what happened here. And they will know of the character and courage of so many incredible American patriots.”

“We fought together. We have endured together. We have pushed onward together,” Trump said. “And right here in Pennsylvania, we have bled together. We’ve bled.” Trump called the would-be assassin “a vicious monster”* and said he did not succeed “by the hand of providence and the grace of God.”

“Twelve weeks ago, we all took a bullet for America,” Trump said. “All we are all asking is that everyone goes out and votes. We got to win. We can’t let this happen to our country,” referring the damage a Harris presidency would do to America.

Artist Scott Lobaido peels off the vinyl to reveal the portrait of Corey Comperatore in his firefighter’s uniform. He was assassinated by a bullet meant for President Trump.

HONORING COREY

October 5th’s was not the typical Trump rally with which Americans have become so familiar over these last eight years. Standing behind protective glass, President Trump asked for a moment of silence at 6:11pm, the exact time the assassin murdered Corey Comperatore, age 50, on July 13th. That was followed by a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria sung by Tenor Christopher Macchio.

Much of the first half hour of the rally was spent giving tribute to Comperatore and the bravery he showed by falling on his wife, Helen, and their two daughters, to shield them from the assassin’s bullets. He gave his life for them. Comperatore’s firefighter coat and helmet were placed in the stands behind Trump’s stage at the very spot where he lost his life. His wife, daughters, two sisters and other family members were in the audience. The audience, which was described as “tens of thousands” by attendees, shouted “Corey, Corey, Corey” in unison as Comperatore’s firefighter suit was shown on the rally's big screens.

Trump also recognized the two men who were critically wounded: David Dutch who was in the audience and James Copenhaver who was back in the hospital undergoing additional surgery for his wounds.

Trump met with Comperatore’s family before his speech. “Some people just don’t die in vain, and what he’s left behind is incredible,” Trump said. Later, he told the audience how excited Comperatore had been to attend July’s rally in. “Corey had the best seat in the house and he was telling his wife and family on the way over, he said, ‘I’m telling you, he’s going to invite me up on the stage.’” Then, referring to his firefighter’s jacket in the bleachers, Trump added, “little did anyone realize that Corey would be on the stage three months later in an almost immortal position.”

“Every father and husband in America hopes, if the time came, we would have what Corey had tremendous courage, tremendous guts,” Trump said. “He wanted to protect his family and he did protect his family.”

ELON: “Will be the last election”

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly named Twitter, took to the stage in an Occupy Mars T-shirt under a black suit coat and sporting a black “Make America Great Again” baseball hat. He jumped up & down, while pumping his fists in the air after Trump introduced him as a “great gentleman” who “saved free speech.” This was the first Trump rally Musk had ever attended.

Musk’s remarks, without notes or a teleprompter, were centered around the importance of voting, and especially the importance of voting for Trump/Vance. He remarked about a lack of laws requiring voter identification and warned that November’s election “will be the last election” if Mr. Trump does not win. Musk went on to say: “The true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire.”

Musk told rally goers and those watching via television & streaming that they needed to get their friends registered to vote and to make sure they actually vote. "Be a pest to everyone you know," he said. “President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America,” said Musk, who endorsed Trump shortly after the assassination attempt. “This is a must-win situation.”

JD: “Trump took a bullet for democracy”

Earlier on Saturday, JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, got on stage and reflected on the events of July 13th, severely criticizing Democrats for calling Trump “a threat to democracy,” saying that kind of language is “inflammatory." He went on to say "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, fight!’" said Vance, who was chosen as Trump’s vice presidential nominee two days after the assassination attempt.

"We're here to say, we can't be intimidated, we can't be stopped," the Ohio Senator told the crowd. Vance rejected the argument from Kamala Harris and other Democrats that Trump represents a threat to democracy. "Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy. What the hell have you done?" Vance asked Harris and other Democrats.

RETURNING TO THE SCENE

No one knows how many rall goers on Saturday were also there on July 13th, listening and watching as the bullets flew. Butler County, on the western edge of Pennsylvania, is a Trump stronghold. He won the county with about 66% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020. About 57% of the county’s 139,000 registered voters are Republicans, compared with about 29% who are Democrats and 14% something else.

Crowds were already lined up outside the venue as the sun rose Saturday morning. A large crowd packed bleachers, folding chairs and the expansive field stretching to the venue’s edges. Area hotels, motels and inns were said to be full with many rally goers arriving on Friday. About half an hour into his speech, Trump paused his remarks for more than five minutes after an attendee had a medical issue and needed a medic.

Johnstown, PA resident Jessie Anderson, who attended the July 13 rally, said she returned to Butler to let the country know "we're not afraid." "People actually feel more empowered to come and show their support," she said. "They know how important it is to come out and vote now and make sure that our red voices get heard."

Chris Harpster, age 30, made the two hour drive to Butler to return to the assassination scene. Of July 13th, he said, “I was afraid.” So were his parents, watching at home, who texted him immediately after the shots rang out. Harpster said he will be a third-time Trump voter in November, based on the Republican nominee’s stances on immigration, guns, abortion and energy. Harpster said he hopes Pennsylvania will go Republican, particularly out of concern over gas and oil industry jobs.

Terri Palmquist came from Bakersfield, California. She said her 18-year-old daughter tried to dissuade her from traveling. “I just figure we need to not let fear control us. That’s what the other side wants is fear. If fear controls us, we lose,” she said.

“Honesty, I believe God’s got Trump, for some reason. I do. So we’re rooting for him.” Palmquist said.

^Trump insisted that the stage be placed exactly as it was on July 13th.

*No one mentioned the name of the assassin. Trump only alluded to him as a “lunatic,” a "very disturbed guy" or an "evil assassin."