Nearly three months after an assassin’s bullet came close to taking his life, former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania – a place of “tragedy and heartache” – to promise his supporters victory in the 5 November presidential election.
One person – a volunteer fire chief – was killed in the 13 July shooting, which also left two bystanders seriously wounded and Trump shot in the ear.
“For 15 seconds, time stood still,” Trump told the crowd. “This vicious monster unleashed evil… the villain did not succeed in his goal.”
For Saturday’s rally, though, security was tight – a result of increased scrutiny of the Secret Service in the wake of two attempts on Trump’s life – the second last month at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Also in attendance were Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, as well as son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump after the earlier shooting.
Trump largely stuck to familiar talking points during his speech, railing against the “corrupt system”, promising to bring “respect” back to US foreign policy and vowing to shut the “open border”, which he claims is a source of crime.
“You deserve a government that protects and respects its own citizens, and defends your sovereignty, your security, your dignity and your freedom,” he told the thousands gathered at the showgrounds in Butler to large applause.
He also struck out at his political opponents, accusing them of “slandering” him and attempting to interfere in the election, and “who knows – maybe even tried to kill me.”
“But I’ve never stopped fighting for you,” he added. “Never will.”
Trump repeatedly referenced the previous shooting, and the event included a moment of silence for Corey Competore, the volunteer firefighter who was killed in the July shooting.
“He’s become somewhat of a folk hero,” Trump added. “Our beautiful Corey.”
The former president had fulsome praise for Elon Musk and went out of his way to invite him to the stage.
The tech billionaire told the crowd he thought this was “the most important election of our lifetime” and exhorted voters to register and elect Trump.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 people were expected at the rally, which snarled traffic to a standstill in the rural town north of Pittsburgh for the entirety of Saturday. Many waited for as many as 10 hours in harsh sun to be let in past a long string of vendors selling Trump-Vance campaign flags, hats, signs and orange wigs meant to emulate the former president.
“I certainly admire his willingness to come back here and give the speech he was denied last time,” said Teresa Wilson, a former US Marine who also attended the previous rally on 13 July.
“I’d understand if he avoided coming back – I know some spectators who didn’t want to return, and some who were very apprehensive,” she added. “If he can stand in the place of the previous attempt, then we as his constituency can certainly show up to offer our support.”
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With just 31 days to go until Americans vote, polls show Trump and Kamala Harris in a tight race in Pennsylvania – a hotly contested battleground state that could prove pivotal.
Data from the New York Times and Siena College, for example, shows the two nearly deadlocked in a tie, 49% to 48% in Harris’s favour.
In dozens of interviews with Trump supporters at the rally, most identified the economy – particularly inflation – as their primary concern ahead of the election.
“We’re not being taken care of. People can’t afford food. They can barely afford gas [petrol],” said Jessenia Anderson, a voter who was at the rally wearing a red “Latinas for Trump” T-shirt. “I have a family, but I find myself making cheaper [meals], buying cheaper things.”
Others – such as rapper Sean Moon, a Tennessee voter – pointed to the US-Mexico border and concern over immigration as the main reason they supported the former president.
Migrant crossings over the US southern border hit record levels under the Biden-Harris administration but the numbers have dropped significantly in recent months.
“That’s an existential threat for this country,” said Mr Moon, the son of a North Korean refugee, about migrant crossings. The event in Butler, he said, was his 15th consecutive Trump rally.
“There are people coming in without being vetted. They tell untruths and get rewarded for it.”
