Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is set to return this Saturday to the rural site in Pennsylvania where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt, holding a rally in the key battleground state just one month before the November 5 election.
Tesla CEO and X (formerly Twitter) owner, Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, will also attend the rally. This marks Musk’s first appearance at a Trump campaign event since publicly endorsing him after the July 13 assassination attempt.
During the July incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, a bullet came dangerously close to Trump’s head, grazing his right ear and drawing blood. The near-miss highlighted serious gaps in the former president’s security detail and prompted tightened protective measures for his subsequent outdoor events.
This was the first of two known assassination attempts on Trump’s life. The second occurred on September 15 at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where a gunman managed to remain undetected for nearly 12 hours with plans to kill the former president. However, the attacker was apprehended by a Secret Service agent patrolling the area ahead of Trump’s arrival, according to prosecutors.
Republican officials hope Trump’s return to Butler will galvanize his core supporters and boost voter turnout in Pennsylvania, a state viewed as critical by both Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the upcoming election.
“I’m going back to Butler because I feel I have an obligation,” Trump told NewsNation earlier this week. “We never finished what we were supposed to do.”
Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, will join him at the rally, along with the family of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was fatally shot during the assassination attempt.
Shane Chesher, 37, a witness from the July rally who was seated on stage behind Trump when the attempt took place, plans to attend the Saturday event. “Honestly, I still don’t fully understand what we experienced that day,” Chesher said in an interview, reflecting on the emotional toll of the incident.
Trump described his return to Butler as “spiritual” and anticipated it would be an emotional experience, both “good and bad.” The July shooting in Butler had led to widespread criticism of the U.S. Secret Service and the resignation of its director. Many questioned how the 20-year-old suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was later fatally shot by Secret Service agents, managed to gain access to a nearby rooftop with a clear line of sight to Trump during his speech.
A subsequent Secret Service investigation uncovered communication lapses and insufficient diligence leading up to the incident. In response, the agency implemented new security protocols, including bulletproof glass to protect Trump at future outdoor rallies. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi noted ahead of the upcoming rally that “comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations” had been made.
Trump has credited his quick reaction—turning his head to look at a chart on a large video screen—for saving his life. Despite bleeding from his right ear, he famously raised his fist and shouted “fight” to his supporters, creating an iconic image from that day. He continued wearing a white bandage on his ear for several days after the incident.
