'Bullet for democracy': Donald Trump set to return to site of rally assassination attempt

DONALD TRUMP WILL make a return later to the small town in Pennsylvania where an attempt was made on his life during a rally attended by thousands of supporters.

The former president will appear alongside his running mate JD Vance, as well as family members of those hurt during the 13 July attack, first responders and billion and X owner Elon Musk.

Responding to a post on X by Trump about today’s “historic” visit, Musk said: “I will be there so support.”

I will be there to support! https://t.co/nokR0g3dn1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024

Trump has repeatedly insisted he wanted to return to the site of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Though his ear was apparently grazed by one of the bullets fired by Thomas Crooks from an AR-15 type rifle, Trump emerged otherwise unscathed.

However, the gunfire at killed rallygoer Corey Comperatore, a fire chief who authorities said died protecting family members. Two other bystanders were also hit and suffered injuries.

Last month, members of a bipartisan congressional taskforce investigating the assassination attempts emphasised that the Secret Service was responsible for the failures in planning and communication, not local authorities.

The Secret Service came in for withering criticism for failing to secure the building from where the shots were fired, just a few hundred feet away from the stage.

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“Butler has become quite a famous place – it’s like a monument now,” Trump said at a recent rally in Milwaukee.

Trump’s campaign said “he took a bullet for democracy” in Butler, and that he would speak behind protective glass on his return.

The former president was six minutes into a campaign speech and turned his head to look at a chart of immigration statistics, when eight shots rang out.

He has since said the chart saved his life.

Trump winced and grabbed his ear, ducking down behind his podium as Secret Service agents flooded the open-air stage.

Surrounded by bodyguards and with blood trickling across his face, Trump raised his fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight” to the crowd – providing his campaign with a now iconic image.

“The first thing I said is, ‘How many people are dead?’ Because, you know, we had a massive crowd. As far as the eye could see,” Trump said recently.

In fact, his first words, captured by the stage microphone, were “let me get my shoes,” corroborated by witness Erin Autenreith, who was sitting in the first row.

The assassination attempt on Trump’s life was the first of a string of dramas that has shaken up the White House race, capped by Joe Biden’s shock withdrawal and replacement by Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate.

Then on 15 September, a man was apprehended after being seen at Trump’s Florida golf course wielding a rifle and a GoPro camera in what the FBI said was a second assassination attempt.

Ryan Wesley Routh appeared briefly in the federal court in West Palm Beach last week after a grand jury handed down a five-count indictment stemming from the second attempt on Trump’s life since July.

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