Republican candidate Donald Trump returned to the scene of his assassination attempt in July, rallying thousands of supporters by co-hosting a joint appearance with billionaire Elon Musk.
In Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump held a sentimental performance with Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the richest man in the world, who made a statement saying that unless Trump supporters turn out to vote, the November election would be the last.
“The true test of someone’s character is how they behave under fire. We had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist-pumping after getting shot! Fight, fight, fight!” he stressed. “President Trump must win to preserve the constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America. This is a must-win situation. Get everyone you know, drag them to register to vote. If they don’t, this will be the last election. That is my prediction,” he added.
In recent days, Trump has honoured Musk for deploying SpaceX’s Starlink equipment to restore connectivity in US cities affected by Hurricane Helene. He simultaneously criticised the Biden administration’s disaster response, saying billions of dollars had misdirected to support illegal immigrants.
Some of the most visible of Musk’s support for Trump is evident at X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which he bought in 2022 for $44 billion. In August, he held the conversation with Trump at X in which he presented his role in case of Trump winning a second term in the White House.
The joint appearance before an enthusiastic crowd of thousands capped an hours-long programme, but the rally was held with heavy security on the same grounds where Trump suffered a wound to his right ear and a rally attendee lost his life when the gunman opened fire and was subsequently shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
“I return to Butler in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache to deliver a simple message to the people of Pennsylvania and to the people of America,” Trump told the crowd Saturday. “And if we win Pennsylvania, we will win the whole thing,” Trump added.
Trump became the first former president to return to the scene of his assassination attempt and use it as a weapon for political gain. As he took the stage, the video juxtaposed an image of George Washington crossing the Delaware River with a picture of Trump with his fist raised. A voice boomed: “This man cannot be stopped. This man cannot be defeated.”
Trump recalled: “On this very ground a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and silence the greatest movement – Maga – in the history of our country … But by the hand of providence and the grace of God that villain did not succeed in his goal. He did not stop our movement.”
But Trump also hinted darkly at facing an internal enemy more dangerous than any external adversary: “Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me,” according to him. “But I’ve never stopped fighting for you and I never will,” he added.
Besides, Trump honoured volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore who was shot dead by the gunman and two other backers who were wounded. A memorial was set up in the stands, his firefighter jacket surrounded by flowers. Giant screens read “In memory of Corey Comperatore” and had his picture on them. Comperatore’s family was in attendance. At 6:11 p.m., the exact time the shooting began on July 13, Trump called for a moment of silence. The bell then rang four times, once for each of the four victims.
Despite, there was an uplifting atmosphere at the rally. They looked up into the bright blue sky to see four Special Forces parachutists – one holding a giant star-spangled flag – jumping from a Cessna 206 aircraft from more than 5,000 feet, followed by a flyover of Trump Force One to music from the film Top Gun.
One tent displayed pictures of the now-famous image of a bloodied Trump with his fist raised – reproductions sold for up to $200. That picture could also be seen on numerous Trump supporters’ T-shirts, which read: “American badass,” “Never surrender,” ’Fight. Trump 2024. Legends never die,” and “Fight… fight… fight!”
Attendees voiced their support for Trump, their suspicions that Democrats were behind the plot to assassinate him, and that his life was saved by divine intervention. Many rally attendees echoed Trump’s claim that God saved him to save the country.
