(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, taking the stage where he had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on July 13. A defiant Trump delivered a clear message to his supporters: “We Will Fight!”
The rally took place in the same place where would-be assassin Thomas Crooks fired several shots targeting Trump. Crooks’s bullets grazed the former president’s right ear and killed former fire chief Corey Comperatore.
Nearly three months later, Trump was met with approving chants and applause from what is believed to be 100,000 supporters, including high-profile personalities, like tech mogul Elon Musk, his sons and running mate, Sen. JD Vance.
WOW—A VIEW FROM ABOVE IN BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA! pic.twitter.com/PrVIPIPRzh
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) October 5, 2024
“For the sake of our families [and] for the sake of our children, we will keep on going and as the expression goes… Fight! Fight Fight! We’re going to fight for our country,” Trump said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Comperatore’s widow, Helen, and his daughters, Allyson and Kaylee, attended the rally to pay tribute to their husband and father.
“We decided this was something we needed to do. We needed to go and honor Corey. He would have done it for me,” Helen said during an interview with The New York Times.
The Trump campaign left a special place in the bleachers for Comperatore, in the same spot where he was killed while shielding his family from the flying bullets.
President Trump honors Corey Comperatore, requests moment of silence at 6:11pm — 12 weeks to the day after the first assassination attempt began — during return to Butler, Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/JSk8rf2u4U
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) October 5, 2024
Vance highlighted the resilience of Trump and his supporters in a heartfelt speech. ″You heard the shots, you saw the blood. We all feared the worst, but you knew everything would be okay when President Trump raised his fist,” he recalled.
“Donald Trump took a BULLET for democracy.” — Sen. JD Vance in Butler, PA pic.twitter.com/h0q0dFSH99
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) October 5, 2024
During his speech, Trump asked Musk to join him on the stage, where he praised the Tesla owner for his commitment to protecting free speech on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Once on stage, Musk delivered what many have described as an electrifying speech. “If people don’t know what’s going on, if they don’t know the truth, how can you make an informed vote? You must have free speech in order to have democracy,” Musk declared to the crowd.
WATCH: @elonmusk‘s full remarks at the @realDonaldTrump rally in Butler, PA…brought to you in part by our Starlink mini.📡 pic.twitter.com/jhEE53p5Eb
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) October 5, 2024
Musk echoed Trump’s now-famous rallying cry from July 13, the day of the assassination attempt, when the Secret Service rushed Trump off stage: “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
This is a developing story. Check back for transcripts and additional details.
