BUTLER, Penn. — Supporters of former President Donald Trump came in the tens of thousands to Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday to witness the return of their candidate to the site where he was shot in the head only months ago.
The Trump campaign estimated that over 100,000 supporters attended the rally, many of whom told The Federalist that they believed they needed to attend in order to show defiance and triumph in the face of Trump’s would-be assassin, who took the life of one and injured two others in addition to the former president at the original Butler rally on July 13.
“If you believe in God, you know that a miracle happened that day, and it’s triumphant,” Vicki Barnum of Collier Township, Pennsylvania, told The Federalist. “We all want to move in the same direction, and we feel like we’ve got a force behind us that’s bigger than the government and bigger than us.”
“We really need to take a stand now and let our voices be heard,” she said.
Rallygoers began lining up early in the morning to enter the event site and stood in the sun for hours prior to Trump speaking in the evening. Many also came from out of state to see Trump speak, and a number of these were also at the July 13 rally.
“That incident itself — the death of Corey, the attempted assassination of Trump, two others in the audience that were wounded — I feel that incident, July 13, was a turning point for America, and that’s what really united the MAGA fanbase together,” Nima Poursohi of Burlington County, New Jersey, who attended the July rally, told The Federalist. “I see people from all different states across America here right now.”
But as anticipation and excitement were high, the rally was also characterized by mourning for the death of Corey Comperatore, who perished at the hands of the assassin while protecting his wife and daughters at the July 13 rally.
“Every father and husband in America hopes that if the time came, we would have what Corey had: tremendous courage, tremendous guts, and he wanted to protect his family, and he did protect his family,” Trump said of Comperatore, whose family was in attendance, during his speech.
Many also mourned the seemingly division-filled state of the country that is aggravated by Democrat rhetoric that encourages political violence.
“We hoped that our opponents would remember that before we are Democrats or before we are Republicans, we are Americans, but sadly, our opponents have not heeded Abraham Lincoln’s words and listened to the better angels of our nature,” Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican nominee for vice president, said in his rally speech. “Even after that terrible assassination attempt that took one man’s life and nearly took many others, they continue to use dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric. The media has continued to call Donald Trump, the guy who actually won his primary, a threat to democracy.”
“A Democrat senator called Donald Trump an existential threat to our democracy. Kamala Harris said that he was attacking ‘the foundations of our democracy,’” he continued. “I think you all will join me in saying to Kamala Harris, how dare you talk about threats to democracy. Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy. What the hell have you done?”
Hours before Vance took the stage, supporters showed a unified front. While attendees were bustling around, speaking among each other, and waiting in long lines for food before the rally kicked off, the event began in total stillness, as the site went completely silent and tens of thousands removed their hats and prayed together. In unison, Trump supporters then recited the Pledge of Allegiance and honored the country by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“As soon as I pulled in, it was just really emotional. You know, everyone is here for the right reason,” Denise Hernandez of Youngstown, Ohio, told The Federalist. “We all love America, and we realize that it’s been going in the wrong direction. And, you know, the former president is a patriot, and J.D. Vance is a patriot, and I really think that they could make America great again.”
“I’m very humbled that the former president has decided to come back here,” she added. “I think it’s a great testament to who he is.”
Trump opened his speech as if he were simply picking up where he left off on July 13, displaying the now-famous chart detailing illegal border crossings under the Biden administration, which he credits in part for saving his life.
“As I was saying … ,” Trump began, to raucous applause. “Exactly 12 weeks ago, this evening, on this very ground, a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and to silence the greatest movement, MAGA, in the history of our country.”
“For 16 harrowing seconds during the gunfire, time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper’s perch, not so far away. But by the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal,” Trump continued. “Did not come close. He did not stop our movement. He did not break our spirit.”
The speech continued to focus on Butler, first responders, and those killed or injured in July. In the middle of Trump’s speech, opera singer Christopher Macchio sang “Ave Maria” after a moment of silence for Comperatore.
“Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me. But I’ve never stopped fighting for you, and I never will,” Trump told his supporters.
“And in turn, you have always stood with me. You have always stood with me, no matter what. You saw what was going on. You saw the hoaxes and the scams. You saw everything that went on,” he said.
Barnum said Trump’s speech and his return to Butler are a testament to his drive to see Americans prosper.
“It’s amazing. It’s the whole him standing up and ‘fight, fight, fight,’” she said. “Even Democrats, even people that don’t agree with him — you can’t negate the fact that the man loves this country, that he’s fighting for something that’s good, and that he is literally risking his life for this country.”
“He’s giving up a lot to do this, and he’s doing it for us,” she continued. “I think he’s making a huge point in saying, ‘I’m not afraid. I’m not going to back down and, and are you with me?’ And we are.”
