Trump returns to the site of the attack in Pennsylvania for a large rally with Vance and Musk

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump plans to return Saturday to the site where a The shooter tried to murder him in July, putting aside what is now almost constant worry for his physical safety, to fulfill a promise — “really a commitment,” as he recently said — to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I’ll probably start by saying, ‘Like I said…'” the Republican presidential candidate joked with some dark humor about a speech that was cut short when a bullet hit Trump’s ear and he was dragged off the stage – Fist up – and blood dripped down his face.

Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will also be on hand at the Butler Farm Show site, as will billionaire Elon Musk, as the campaign underscores the headline potential of his return with just 30 days to go before the end of their close campaign against the Democratic Party Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The campaign expects tens of thousands of people to attend the event, billed as a “homage to the American spirit.” According to a local Facebook page, local hotels, motels and inns were reportedly full and some eager rally-goers had already arrived on Friday.

“President Trump looks forward to returning to Butler, Pennsylvania to honor the victims of that tragic day,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “The willingness of Pennsylvanians to join President Trump in his return to Butler represents the strength and resilience of the American people.”

Trump will use the event at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to remember Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was struck and killed at the July 13 rally, and the two other injured rally participants, David Dutch and James Copenhaver , to be appreciated. She and Trump were hit when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from an unsecured roof nearby before being fatally shot by snipers.

This includes how Crooks managed to outmaneuver law enforcement that day and climb to the roof of a building that was within firing range of the ex-president Countless questions that remain unanswered about the Secret Service’s worst security failure in decades. Another reason is his motive, which has never been clarified.

Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger told WPXI-TV this week that “everyone is redoubling their efforts to make sure this is done safely and correctly.”

Mike Slupe, the county sheriff, told the station he estimated that the Secret Service – which is facing a painful reckoning over its handling of two Trump assassination attempts – was using “four times its assets” as it did in July.

Butler County, on the western edge of a coveted presidential swing state, is a Trump stronghold. He won the district — where voter turnout is an impressive 80% — with about 66% of the vote in 2016 and 2020. About 57% of Butler County’s 139,000 registered voters are Republicans, compared to about 29% Democrats and 14% some other.

Three months later, The townspeople are divided above the value of its return. Heidi Priest, a Butler resident who started a Facebook group supporting Harris, said Trump’s latest visit has inflamed political tensions in the city.

“Whenever you see people supporting him and being happy that he’s here, it scares people who don’t want to see him re-elected,” she said.

But Trump has to do it increase voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, a predominantly white, rural-suburban community, if he wants to win Pennsylvania in November. Harris has also focused her campaign efforts on Pennsylvania and has repeatedly campaigned there as part of her campaign aggressive use in critical swing states.