The return of former President Donald Trump butlerPennsylvania, the positioning of his assassination attempt on July 13, quickly transitioned from a commemoration of the tragic shooting to its standard rally format.
Within 20 minutes of his roughly 90-minute break In his speech, Trump attacked Vice President Kamala Harris and called on allies like Tesla CEO Elon Musk to assist him get re-elected.
“Twelve weeks ago we all took a bullet for America,” the Republican presidential candidate said at the identical location where the July shooting took place. “We can’t take another four years like this. We won’t have any land left.”
The Trump campaign pitched the event to honor Corey Comperatore, the previous firefighter killed on the July rally, and the town of Butler, which has drawn national attention because the shooting.
Comperatore's family was present as distinguished guests, together with David Dutch, considered one of the rally participants who was shot and injured. Before Trump's headlines, several local Butler officials took the stage to recount their experiences on July thirteenth.
But the Butler rally wasn't only a memorial ceremony.
After about 20 minutes of honoring Butler and the victims of the rally, Trump turned to his more usual speech.
“Who is Harris?” We can’t discover who she is because if we do, our country will likely be in big trouble,” Trump said.
Roughly 4 weeks before the Nov. 5 election, the Butler event was considered one of Trump's last high-profile campaign opportunities to make the case for re-election – in a key swing state with as many as 19 electoral votes.
Trump also used the rally to highlight several recent members of his entourage.
In the center of Trump's speech, Elon Musk took the stage to praise the previous president.
“The true test of a person’s character is how they behave under fire,” said Musk, wearing a black MAGA baseball cap, a black blazer and an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt.
“As you can see, I’m not just MAGA, I’m Dark MAGA,” the tech billionaire said.
“This is no ordinary election,” he continued. “President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America.”
Trump is being charged with crimes related to his alleged try and overturn his loss to President Joe Biden within the 2020 election.
Musk publicly supported Trump hours after the Butler assassination attempt, but has been committed to Republican candidates and causes for years. Since then, their alliance has grown stronger as Musk helps raise funds for the Trump campaign. Trump has also said he would create a government efficiency commission to audit the whole federal government and reduce waste, an concept that Musk had proposed.
Ohio Senator JD Vance, who was named Trump's running mate days after the Butler shooting, also spoke on the rally.
“What happened here in Butler is a metaphor for the United States of America,” Vance said. “There is… no defeat that we cannot turn into a victory.”
Other close Trump allies also gave transient introductory speeches, including real estate tycoon Steve Witkoff, Trump's son Eric Trump and Republican National Committee co-chairwoman and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump.
Trump returned to Butler in a really different presidential race than his last visit.
As of July 13, Trump was still reveling in Biden's disastrous performance on the June 27 debate, fueling growing doubts amongst Democrats about their candidate's ability to win a second term.
Since then, Biden has dropped out of the race, Harris has taken the Democratic helm and she or he has begun eroding Trump's lead.
Trump first announced his plan to return to Butler in July, 13 days after the rally shooting.
Ahead of Saturday's rally, the Secret Service said it had strengthened its security plan after facing intense scrutiny following the rally shooting in July and one other assassination attempt against Trump in September.
On Friday, the Secret Service promised that it had made “comprehensive changes and improvements” to its communications capabilities and resources.
“The former president is receiving increased protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety very seriously,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a press release.
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