Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump is expected to hold a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5, the city where the first assassination attempt against him occurred in July.
NBC News was the first to report on Trump’s return to the location, citing three sources similar with his campaign schedule.
Trump previously promised to return to Butler to honor the victim who died at his July rally, along with two other men who were seriously injured.
“I WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO. WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July.
It is unclear whether Trump’s event will be held at the same location where the shooting took place on July 13.
The event, set for one month before the election, would make a powerful statement following Trump’s response to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as he shouted with a raised right fist after his right ear was grazed by a bullet before he was tackled to the ground by Secret Service agents.
Thomas Crooks, 20, was the shooter who fired eight shots from a nearby rooftop during the Butler event. One bullet fatally struck former fire department chief Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania.
The two injured men included 57-year-old David Dutch, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Both men were later released from the hospital.
Crooks was eliminated by sniper fire following the shooting. Secret Service personnel have been criticized for the handling of the event’s security which soon led to Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.
Trump also faced a second assassination attempt earlier this month in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Routh, 58, reportedly pointed a rifle barrel at him from approximately 400 yards away when a Secret Service agent spotted him and fired shots.
Routh fled the scene in his vehicle and was soon apprehended by law enforcement on I-95. He is currently held in jail awaiting trial on two counts, with other potential charges pending.
