BUTLER, Pa. (WTAJ) — Former President Donald Trump made his return to Butler Saturday three months after his attempted assassination.
The Republican nominee had a bullet graze his ear during a rally on July 13. Thomas Crooks, who shot three people in attendance, killed one man and injured two others in the stands.
Three months later, the former president returned to the Butler Farm Show grounds for a second rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Supporters lined up at the door at 6 a.m. and filed into the area.
As they walk the land, some attendees still remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the popping sounds of gunfire.
“It all happened so quickly,” Bob Walton, a Trump supporter said. “Then everybody started leaping and pouring out.”
Jon Ruffley, a volunteer at both Butler rallies, was passing out water to those in attendance on July 13. However, his gut told him to go home.
“I texted my wife and said ‘Hey, I’m coming home.’,” Ruffley added. “She’s like ‘But he hasn’t come on yet.’ I said, ‘I have a wrong feeling about this, like something is not right.’”
Security was seen across the area, with snipers on rooftops and more police presence throughout the concourse. Supporters took note of the changes.
“There are SWAT teams around the outside that I do not remember seeing last time,” Ruffley said.
Rallyers filed into the area, with an expected crowd of around 60,000 attendees from across the country. They filled the bleachers and stood in overflow areas wanting to hear the messages of Trump, his vice presidential candidate JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk.
“We are so proud to stand here in Pennsylvania, ready to take back the White House, and ready to take back this country,” Vance said.
“President Trump must win to preserve our Constitution,” Musk added. “He must win to preserve democracy in America.”
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During his speech, Trump asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence at 6:11 p.m., which marked the exact time 12 weeks ago when bullets flew into the Butler sky and killed Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who attended the rally in July.
“Corey Comperatore was an incredible husband and father, a devout Christian, veteran and a proud father,” Trump said. “Very respected in this town.”
He later went into detail about his policies and how they stack up against his opponent in Vice President Kamala Harris. Topics ranged from immigration, the economy and foreign relations.
Trump claimed that the Oval Office needed someone stronger at the helm.
“The people of America, our movement to make America great and stand stronger, prouder, more united, more determined and nearer to victory than ever before,” Trump added.
More from WTAJ’s Jon Draeger
The return to Butler gave a message to his supporters. They claim to be given a reason to keep fighting.
“That shows he really cares and it matters,” Walton said. “The amount of people that have shown up, so many more people have shown up for this one, and it’s going to be insane.”
Trump’s campaign will continue to go across the country with 30 days left until Election Day on Nov. 5, which the former president calls the most important election in the history of the country.
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