Nearly three months after a bullet came close to taking his life, former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania — a place of “tragedy and heartache” — to promise supporters victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election. This was summed up by the BBC.
The July 13 shooting, in which two bystanders were also seriously injured and Trump was shot in the ear, killed one person — a volunteer fire chief.
“For 15 seconds, time stopped,” Trump told the crowd. “This cruel monster has unleashed evil… the villain has failed in his goal.”
Former US President Donald Trump has promised to “unlock a manufacturing renaissance” if he wins a second term. Speaking in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the assassination attempt took place, he said he and his supporters “bleed together,” referring to one person who died and two people the gunman injured.
Trump urged his supporters to vote in the upcoming presidential election and said his victory would be “the greatest achievement in the history of politics … because we’re going to change our country fast.”
He said the US was “the most successful country in history” during his administration and promised it would be “maybe even better” if re-elected, AP said.
The former US president claimed at a rally in Pennsylvania that Elon Musk told him that “the US will reach Mars before the end of Trump’s term” if he wins the election in November.
Trump said the US would “lead the world in space exploration” with Musk’s SpaceX.
The former president accused his opponent, US Vice President Kamala Harris, of “destroying everything she touches” and called her “the most incompetent and far-fetched candidate to ever run for president.”
He said the Biden administration was removing voter ID to “cheat the election” and said its response to Hurricane Helen was “the worst job ever done to help people.” ” in the event of a natural disaster.
Security was tight for Saturday’s rally, however, a result of increased Secret Service scrutiny following the two assassination attempts on Trump, the second last month at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance was also in attendance, as were son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has supported Trump since the previous shooting.
During his speech, Trump largely stuck to familiar themes, speaking out against a “corrupt system,” pledging to restore “respect” to U.S. foreign policy and vowing to close the “open border” that he says is a source of of crime, summarized the BBC.
“You deserve a government that protects and respects its own citizens and protects your sovereignty, your security, your dignity and your freedom,” he told the thousands gathered in Butler to thunderous applause.
He also lashed out at his political opponents, accusing them of “slandering” him and trying to interfere in the election, and “who knows – maybe they even tried to kill me.”
“But I never stopped fighting for you,” he added. “I never will.”
Trump repeatedly referenced the previous shooting, and the event included a moment of silence for Corey Conquerant, a volunteer firefighter who was killed in the July shooting.
“He’s become something of a folk hero,” Trump added. “Our lovely Corey.”
The former president praised Elon Musk and went out of his way to invite him on stage.
The tech billionaire told the crowd that he believed this was “the most important election of our lifetime” and urged voters to register and elect Trump.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 people were expected to attend the rally, which blocked traffic in the town north of Pittsburgh all Saturday. Many waited up to 10 a.m. in the blazing sun to be let past the long line of vendors selling Trump-Vance campaign flags, hats, signs and orange wigs designed to mimic the former president.
“I certainly admire his willingness to come back here and give the speech he was denied last time,” said Theresa Wilson, a former U.S. Marine who also attended the previous July 13 rally.
“I would understand if he avoided coming back – I know some viewers who didn’t want to come back and some who were very worried,” she added. “If he can stand up to the previous experience, then we as his constituency can certainly turn up to offer our support.”
With just 31 days to go until Americans go to the polls, polls show Trump and Kamala Harris in a tight race in Pennsylvania, a hotly contested state that could prove decisive.
The New York Times and Siena College data, for example, show the two nearly deadlocked, 49 percent to 48 percent in favor of Harris.
In dozens of interviews with Trump supporters at the rally, most of them identified the economy — particularly inflation — as their primary concern before the election.
“We are not taken care of. People can’t afford food. They can barely afford gas [бензин]” said Jessenia Anderson, a voter who was at the rally wearing a red “Latinos for Trump” T-shirt. “I have a family, but it turns out that I prepare a cheaper one.” [храна]I buy cheaper things’.
Others — like rapper Sean Moon, a Tennessee voter — cited the US-Mexico border and concerns about immigration as the main reason they supported the former president.
Migrants crossing the southern border of the US reached record levels under the Biden-Harris administration, but in recent months the number has declined significantly.
“This is an existential threat to this country,” Moon, the son of a North Korean refugee, said of the migrant crossing. He said the Butler event was his 15th consecutive Trump rally.
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