Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign team officially announced on Wednesday that Trump plans to return to the location where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on October 5th – Butler, Pennsylvania, for a campaign rally.
The campaign team stated in a press release, “President Trump will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where less than three months ago, he held a rally at the same place where he was inches away from death.” The statement continued, “The world sees Trump’s survival as a divine intervention.”
Butler, Pennsylvania is located on the northern outskirts of Pittsburgh, and it is a suburban satellite city of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on July 13th during a campaign event in Butler. A gunman opened fire towards the stage as Trump began his speech, hitting Trump’s right ear with a bullet, causing blood to spill, but he still raised his arms and shouted “fight” before being escorted out by security personnel. The Secret Service agents on the scene promptly shot and killed the gunman.
The shooting incident resulted in one death and two serious injuries.
The Trump team stated that this return visit holds significant symbolic meaning, showcasing Trump’s strong will and unwavering spirit. Additionally, during this event, Trump plans to pay tribute to the victims of the incident: Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old father and firefighter, and show respect to the local law enforcement and emergency responders.
Comperatore, who has two daughters, shielded his family during the attack, ultimately being shot.
The press release mentioned, “President Trump will also offer condolences to the other two Americans shot by the gunman, David Dutch and James Copenhaver. He will express deep gratitude to law enforcement and emergency responders, and thank the entire community for the love and support shown after the attack.”
The assassination attempt on Trump came on the eve of the Republican National Convention, not only shocking the American political arena but also drawing global attention.
After the incident, President Biden and Trump had a brief phone call and made nationwide speeches, calling for American unity. Trump’s campaign team immediately pulled television advertisements and halted airing campaign ads related to lawsuits and litigation disputes.
During a speech at the White House, Biden remarked, “Political discourse in America has become extremely intense and divisive, it is time to calm down.” He added, “The United States does not tolerate such violence or anything related to it. Assassinations and anything against our country’s values are not who we are; this is not America, and we cannot stand idly by.”
Trump stated that the shooting incident completely altered the speech he had planned to deliver at the Republican National Convention. The speech centered around “calling for unity,” as he noted, “This is an opportunity to unite America, and I have been given this opportunity.”
During his speech at the national convention, Trump paid tribute to Comperatore and walked to the display area on stage, where he embraced the former fire chief and kissed his helmet.