Former US President Donald Trump will hold a rally on October 5 in Butler, Pennsylvania, returning to the very location where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt on July 13, his campaign confirmed on Wednesday, according to the New York Post.
The rally marks Trump’s first visit to the site since the attempt on his life by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired eight shots at the former president from a nearby building.One of the bullets struck Trump in the right ear, grazing him as he turned to look at a chart of immigration statistics. Crooks was killed by a counter-sniper moments later.
Trump’s campaign pointed out the importance of the upcoming rally saying, “During his visit, President Trump will honour the memory of Corey Comperatore, who heroically sacrificed his life to shield his wife and daughters from the bullets on that terrible day.”
Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, was one of the casualties in the attack. Trump will also recognise two other individuals wounded in the shooting, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, and express gratitude to law enforcement and first responders for their swift actions.
The former president’s survival was attributed to divine intervention, remarked that he was “spared by God” to continue his mission to regain the presidency. The campaign further claimed, “President Trump was saved in what the world has recognised as an act of divine providence.”
The July assassination attempt was followed by a second in September, where Trump was targeted at his West Palm Beach golf course by a sniper identified as Ryan Routh. Both attempts have spurred investigations into security failures, leading to the resignation of Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle.
“After not one, but two attempts on his life in the past nine weeks, President Trump is more determined than ever to see his mission through to the end. In that Butler field on July 13, he took a bullet for democracy—and on November 5, he is going to save our democracy,” his campaign stressed Wednesday.