Donald Trump made a notable return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of a recent assassination attempt, where he promised exciting plans for Mars exploration while addressing a large crowd.
Beginning his speech with humor, Trump expressed gratitude to the enthusiastic audience, which was reportedly in the tens of thousands. “Thank you,” he said. “We love Pennsylvania, and, as I was saying…” This prompted cheers from the crowd. He continued, “I return to Butler to deliver a simple message: We are going to make America great again, and we are going to win the election.”
Reflecting on the assassination attempt, he stated that the shooter “aimed to silence me and the MAGA movement.” He recounted the harrowing experience, saying, “For 16 seconds, time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil. That villain did not succeed.”
As part of his campaign promises, Trump vowed to reduce energy prices, implement significant tax cuts, and criticized his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, as being excessively left-leaning. He also declared, “We will reach Mars” by the end of his potential second term and promised to enforce “no men in women’s sports.”
During his speech, the crowd began chanting “Corey,” in memory of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed shielding his family from gunfire during the attack on July 13. At 6:11 PM, the moment gunfire erupted, Trump called for a moment of silence, during which a bell tolled four times to honor each victim, including himself.
As some members of the audience shouted “fight, fight, fight,” the slogan Trump used after the shooting, he echoed the sentiment, while his vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, remarked that the former president “took a bullet for democracy.”
The event momentarily paused when a member of the crowd required medical attention, leading to a spontaneous rendition of the national anthem.
Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, briefly took the stage to encourage voter registration. He remarked that true courage is tested in difficult times and alluded to Joe Biden, saying the U.S. had one presidential candidate who “couldn’t climb a flight of stairs” and another who shouted “fight, fight, fight.” Musk underscored the necessity of Trump’s victory in the upcoming election “to preserve the constitution and democracy in America.”
“This is a must-win situation,” Musk emphasized.
Trump returned to the Butler Farm Show grounds, where a bullet appeared to strike his ear during July’s incident. He was whisked off the stage with blood on his face, capturing a defining moment for this election cycle.
The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from an unsecured rooftop before being fatally shot. The motive for the attack remains unclear, raising serious concerns about security failures within the Secret Service, leading to the resignation of its director, Kimberly Cheatle, less than two weeks after the incident.
Credit: Sky News
