Former President Donald Trump is touting his return this weekend to the site where a would-be assassin’s bullet came within inches of taking his life in Butler, Pa., July 13 — and he’s bringing one very rich friend along.
A Friday announcement from the Republican campaign trumpeted that the 78-year-old will “hold a rally on the very same ground where he took a bullet for democracy less than three months ago.”
The Saturday evening spectacle will also include the widow, sisters and daughters of Corey Comperatore — who was killed when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks squeezed off eight shots targeting the 45th president at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
David Dutch, one of two rally attendees who were wounded in the shooting, will also be in attendance, according to the Trump campaign.
Saturday’s rally exactly one month before Election Day is meant to highlight Trump’s resiliency and bank more support in a state that most observers see as absolutely crucial to deciding who will be the 47th president.
“President Trump looks forward to returning to Butler to honor the victims and their families and he looks forward to rallying with thousands of Pennsylvanians,” said campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Some of Trump’s closest allies and confidants will also join him at the outdoor rally, including his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Tesla and X boss Elon Musk, and Eric and Lara Trump, the former first son and daughter-in-law.
Musk has expressed his support for Trump in the past, but has never before joined the former president for a rally.
Trump has continued to hold outdoor events despite being wounded in the right ear by Crooks at the first Butler rally and several Republicans, including the former president himself, have expressed concern for his safety.
“Well, I’m always worried,” Trump told NewsNation Wednesday when asked about his security.
“I think that the White House isn’t treating us very good,” he added. “I get crowds that are 10 times bigger than anybody else, 20 times bigger than anybody else, and we’re entitled to security.”
Trump’s security has been stepped up since July 13 and his outdoor rallies have included bulletproof glass, but the Secret Service has said resources are limited as agents have to deploy to protect President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as well as the Republican ticket.
The interim head of the Secret Service admitted last month that the failure to secure the July 13 rally was the protective agency’s responsibility due to a lack of “clear guidance or direction to our local law enforcement partners” about how to secure the perimeter and rally space.
Crooks was able to access a rooftop less than 150 yards from where Trump was speaking and fire eight rounds before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
The lack of security personnel on the roof was the fault of the Secret Service, which was working on the “assumption” that local law enforcement was handling the area, acting agency director Ronald Rowe told reporters on Sept. 20.
Rowe has also said the threat environment is “tremendous” around Trump after he was targeted in another assassination attempt Sept. 15 on his West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course.
Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly waited for nearly 12 hours in the treeline of Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach with an SKS rifle waiting for the former president to emerge for a round, but was foiled by a Secret Service advance agent before he could make an attempt on Trump’s life.