Trump back in Butler – calls assassin a vicious monster

On Saturday, Trump described the assassin from July, Thomas Matthew Crooks (20), as a “vicious monster”.

– Time stood still as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from its sniper position nearby. But thanks to the hand of fate and the grace of God, the villain was unable to achieve his goal, Trump said in front of the crowd, which probably consisted of several tens of thousands in attendance.

In July, Trump stood on the podium in the same place. Then Crooks tried to kill Trump. One spectator was killed, two others injured, and Trump was hit in the ear. The 20-year-old perpetrator was then shot and killed.

Trump announced some time ago that he would go back to Butler after the assassination. On Saturday, thousands of Trump’s supporters gathered at the election campaign event, where Elon Musk was also present.

Several speakers took the stage ahead of Trump himself, and some referred to the former president’s return as the fulfillment of an “obligation” to the people of Butler. They recounted the events when the shots were fired on July 13 and praised Trump’s courage.

Bulletproof glass

Security was significantly tightened compared to the event in July, with snipers deployed in several locations and a surveillance drone flying over the area.

– Exactly twelve weeks ago on this night, in this very place, a cold-blooded killer tried to force me into silence, Trump said behind bulletproof glass to the many thousands of cheering supporters who had turned up in Butler on Saturday.

The presidential candidate promised in the speech that he would not allow himself to be threatened.

– I will never give in, never bend, never break, Trump said.

A minute’s silence

Trump was hit in the upper part of the ear and suffered a two-centimeter-long wound when the shots fell on July 13. Two members of the public were wounded by gunfire, while a third member of the public, firefighter Corey Comperatore (50), was killed when he threw himself in front of his family to protect them.

At exactly the same time as when the shots fell in July, at 6:11 p.m., Trump on Saturday asked those present for a minute’s silence. A bell rang four times, once for each of the victims, including Trump.

From the podium, Trump paid tribute to both Cmperatore and the two injured.

Partway through the speech, Trump called Elon Musk up to the stage. It was Musk’s first appearance at a Trump campaign event since Musk announced his support for Trump after the July 13 attack.

Musk literally jumped onto the stage while holding his arms in the air.

– Must win

– The true test of a person’s character is how they behave when faced with a difficult situation, Musk said.

The Tesla CEO said that Trump must win the election and he encouraged those present to register as voters. He emphasized the small margins that can be decisive for the presidential election in swing states such as Pennsylvania.

– Trump must win to preserve America’s democracy, Musk said.

In the days following the Butler attack, both Democrats and Republicans called for the political temperature to be tempered.

But then the parties resumed their rhetoric against each other. President Joe Biden stated that Trump is a threat to democracy, while Trump refused to commit to accepting an eventual election defeat in November.

Trump is accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election results after protesters stormed Congress on January 6, 2021.

Before the weekend, Biden was asked if he thinks violence may come to characterize the rest of the election campaign. Biden replied that he believes the election result will be fair, but that he was not sure if it will be a peaceful election.

– Inner enemy

Saturday marked that there was then exactly one month left until the presidential election on 5 November.

On the podium, Trump lashed out at political opponents, calling them an “internal enemy” who he said had been pushing to impeach him and “who knows, maybe even try to kill me.”

The crowd responded with cheers, with many chanting “fight, fight, fight,” which has become a slogan among Trump’s supporters after Trump shouted “fight” as he was led down from the podium when shots rang out on July 13.

Ohio Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was also in attendance. He hit back at claims by Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris that Trump poses a threat to democracy, saying:

– Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy.