Trump returns to Butler to finish rally interrupted by assassination attempt

Eagerly awaited by his supporters, Republican candidate Donald Trump returned to Butler on Saturday, in Pennsylvania, flying over the scene of the assassination attempt of which he was the victim on July 13.

Thousands of people had come to listen to the end of a speech interrupted by gunshots a little over three months ago, and which cost the lives to a person.

“I appreciate that he's coming back. He said he would come to finish his speech and for me, that takes guts,” said Robert Dupain, 53, a construction worker present on July 13.

“That's what these 50,000 people want,” he added, referring to the participants around him, while acknowledging a certain “excitement.”

While no official figures were given, the crowd was significantly larger than at the July rally. Supporters galvanized by the rallying cries of Republicans in recent months: “Fight, fight, fight!”

– “Crime-Inducer” –

On the roofs of buildings around the site, snipers from the Secret Service, the agency responsible for the security of high-ranking officials, are visible and one must pass through security gates before accessing the site.

As for the building where the gunfire came from in July, it is literally surrounded by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Despite everything, Heather Hughes, 43, who came from the neighboring town of New Castle, is worried about Mr. Trump.

“I don't think he's safe, I think there will be another attempt. But he'll get through it,” she assures.

On July 13, during a rally, a young man shot the former president, wounding him in the ear. He had killed a sympathizer in the stands and wounded two others.

The Secret Service had shot the young gunman, Thomas Crooks, 20, perched on the roof of a building a few hundred meters away. The head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, was forced to resign.

Republican candidate Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 2024 © AFP – Jim WATSON

In the crowd, a work of art paid tribute to the victim, Corey Comperatore, depicted with his firefighter helmet.

Nearby, a singer hums: “They shot but thank God they missed/It's time to stop this.”

The July attempt, as well as the second attempt on Donald Trump, at his golf course in Florida in September, have raised fears that the rest of the campaign and the November election could be marked by violence.

– “the voice of God” –

On Friday, US President Joe Biden expressed his concern at a press conference at the White House: “The things that Trump said last time, when he didn't like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous. So I'm worried about what they're going to do.”

Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, October 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania © AFP – Jim WATSON

“Republicans are not violent, I think (Democrats) are crime-mongers. They keep talking about Hitler and the end of democracy,” replies Glen Scheirer, a retiree who came to meeting with five relatives.

For him, Thomas Crooks was “psychologically ill” but may have been influenced by statements pointing to the risk that Donald Trump would pose to democracy.

The meeting opened with a tribute, paid on the stage by the mayor of the nearby town of Slippery Rock, Jondavid Longo, to the victims of July 13, the crowd chanting the name of Corey Comperatore.

“We are happy to have President Trump back in Butler,” he said.

A tribute that continued with Dr. James Sweetland, who rushed to Mr. Comperatore just after the shootings, claiming to have heard a voice tell him: “Go help him.”

“I assure you now, it was the voice of God,” Mr. Sweetland said. “The shots of an assassin should not determine the outcome of our election.”

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