Trump rallies in Butler for first time since attempted assassination: Live
Ex-president returns to Pennsylvania with Elon Musk for campaign rally at the site of his attempted assassination
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Donald Trump returned to the venue in Butler, Pennsylvania where he survived an assassination attempt just three months ago.
Billionaire and ardent Trump supporter Elon Musk joined the former president onstage at the rally, marking the first time the Tesla CEO has publicly appeared at a Trump campaign event since he endorsed him shortly after the shooting in July.
Musk falsely claimed that Democratic officials want to strip Americans’ of their voting rights, and suggested that if Trump does not win against Kamala Harris in November, “this will be the last election.”
JD Vance, Eric Trump and his wife Lara Trump — the co-chair of the Republican National Committee — and other high-profile Trump allies and donors joined the rally. The family of Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was killed in the attack, also was in attendance.
After a series of failures by the Secret Service at the July 13 rally, revealed in a damning Congressional report, the agency has provided a number of security enhancements. There is “a large coordinated presence of law enforcement” at the rally, a source in law enforcement familiar with the plan told The Independent.
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Trump calls Elon Musk to the stage
Donald Trump Elon Musk up to the stage during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and claimed that SpaceX was the “only reason” America can still send astronauts into space.
Musk came up tot he stage and took a swipe at Joe Biden, calling him a president who “couldn’t climb a flight of stairs” before comparing him to Trump, praising the former president for taking a bullet.
He then falsely claimed that Democrats were trying to take away Americans’ rights to vote, their right to bear arms, and their right to free speech.
WATCH: Trump recalls 'as I was saying' as he speaks in Butler first time since assassination attempt
Trump says countries across the globe have released more than “13,000 murderers” into the US
Trump said more than “13,000 murderers” have been let into the US during Joe Biden’s administration.
During his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he said countries “all over the world” were releasing muderers and human traffickers into the US.
There is no evidence supporting Trump’s claim that countries are intentionally “releasing” anyone into the US.
Trump talks about his “beautiful life” before a medical issue in the crowd stalls the rally
Trump boasted about his properties and the “beautiful life” he could have if he weren’t running for president during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I could have such a beautiful life,” Trump said, before boasting of his properties. “I could be in Monte Carlo, but I’d rather be in Butler.”
A short time later, someone in the crowd suffered a medical issue, briefly interrupting the rally. Trump stopped, saying “take your time, doctor” and waited for the individual to receive medical care before continuing.
During the downtime, the crowd started singing the national anthem.
Trump suggests the government is paying for “sex change operations for illegal aliens"
Trump suggested on Saturday during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania that migrants in “holding bins” were being given government sponsored “sex change operations.”
“Who wants sex change operations for illegal aliens in holding bins?”
The dubious claim has been a frequent talking point among Republicans, who have made both illegal immigration and opposition to transgender individuals a main focus of the 2024 campaign.
Trump insinuates Democrats “maybe tried to kill me"
Donald Trump said that Democrats “maybe tried to kill me” during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — the site of his attempted assassination by Thomas Matthew Crooks in July — after which the crowd chanted “fight fight fight.”
There is zero evidence that Democrats had anything to do with Crooks’s shooting.
Earlier in the night Trump’s son, Eric, made similar false insinuations.
Conservative campaigner courts Amish voters with “raw milk” before Trump walked out at Butler rally
Conservative social media influencer and campaigner Scott Presler made an appeal to the Amish in Pennsylvania on Saturday before Donald Trump appeared at his Butler rally.
He told them Trump’s White House would protect their “raw milk” and would provide them a country where they could afford to have families with 10 children.
It’s not the first time Republicans have courted the Amish vote in Pennsylvania.
READ MORE:
Republicans are trying to convince a skeptical Amish community to vote for Trump
Republicans are trying to convince the Amish community to vote for Trump — but at the Bloomsburg Fair in Pennsylvania, Richard Hall discovers they face a difficult task
Trump recognizes those killed and wounded during his July assassination attempt
Trump recognized Corey Comperatore, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, the men wounded during the July 13 assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania.
Comperatore was killed in the attack. Trump called him a “folk hero,” a “brave guy,” and a “protector.”
He also noted that Copenhaver could not be at the rally because he was having surgery related to the shooting. Dutch was present at the rally on Saturday.
He then asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence for Comperatore, during which time bells tolled and a singer sang “Ave Maria.”
Trump thanks Secret Service agents for saving him during Butler assassination attempt
Trump thanked the US Secret Service members who “threw their bodies on top of mine,” saying there “was not even a moment of doubt in their mind” when they moved in to assist him.
The Secret Service faced severe scrutiny in the aftermath of the assassination attempt in July. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt.
Trump starts off rally with “as I was saying"
Donald Trump started his Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with the words “as I was saying,” referencing that his last rally in Butler ended abruptly when Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to assassinate him.
“By the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal,” Trump said.
The former president walked out to the stage to a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” sung by Lee Greenwood.
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