The Pennsylvania city grapples with an assassination attempt on Trump before his return

Donald Trump returns to Butler, where the world last saw him clenching his fist and imploring his followers to “fight” even as his face was bloodied by a would-be assassin’s bullet.

In announcing his return, the former president and current Republican candidate said he wanted to “celebrate a unifying vision for America’s future at an event the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

The question is: Is Butler ready?

While many expect a large crowd to hear Trump’s speech at the Farm Show property, where a bullet struck his right ear on July 13, there is also concern in the city and a feeling that Butler is still on his way of recovery is.

“I’ve consulted with at least 500 people since the incident,” said registered nurse Shanea Clancy, who runs a mental health counseling service in Butler County and has seen people become even more anxious since the shooting. Some show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The big issue, if you will, is simply, ‘How did something like this happen in our backyard?'” Clancy said. “People don’t expect trauma to show up on their doorstep on any given day.”

The attack resonated widely in the mountain community north of Pittsburgh. Trump enjoys widespread support there, having easily doubled Hillary Clinton’s vote total on his way to winning the White House in 2016. In 2020, he almost did this again against Joe Biden. But two years ago, when the party held the governorship, Butler County was better for the Democrats. Candidate Josh Shapiro received about 43% of the vote there.

To claim the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania in November, Trump will need to increase turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, a predominantly white, rural suburban community that has a track record of voting Republican.

We focus on more security

On Saturday, the former president will give a speech where thousands of people, including children, witnessed him and the others being shot. Former Buffalo Township Fire Company Chief Corey Comperatore was killed, while David Dutch and James Copenhaver were both hospitalized with injuries. US Secret Service killed the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Some of the rally participants were stunned afterward and held impromptu prayer groups as they walked back to their cars. It seems that nearly everyone in Butler County either attended the rally or knows someone who did.

Last weekend, retired food service worker Sally Sarvey picked up Trump signs and a T-shirt from a Republican Party tent at a street fair in nearby Slippery Rock. She said she will “make it a point” to witness Trump’s return this Saturday, but she is aware of what happened in July.

“Hopefully they have more security that responds quicker,” Sarvey said.

There are visible signs of the remaining tension. “Fight” graffiti — a reference to Trump’s words immediately after the shooting — appeared around Butler County over the next two weeks. In some places, the word “fight” on streets was countered by another spray-painted message: “love.”

The assassination attempt was “No. 1 topic of conversation since July 13, said Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee. He has so many unanswered questions about the shooting and the resulting investigation that he keeps a running list.

“There’s a lot going on right now, people want answers,” Hulings said. “I’m not part of the minority there at all. There are a lot of people asking questions.”

The shooting was “a burden for all of us.”

Police and emergency officials were interviewed by state police, FBI and congressional investigators investigating the shooting. The county government processed about 300 open records requests, five times the number it normally handles in a year. Many expect a legal dispute that could drag on for years.

“I’m not going to lie – it’s a burden on all of us,” said Steve Bicehouse, director of Butler Emergency Services. “It wears you down. And it’s been a stressful time in the last few months.”

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only Democrat to hold statewide elected office in Butler, said events two months ago raise some concerns about Saturday’s rally. The previous lack of security is the main concern, but authorities also struggled with extreme heat and humidity at the July event, which left emergency responders busy treating people in distress even before the shooting. Several people had to be treated in hospital.

Boozel received “a lot of emails saying, ‘Don’t let him back here,'” he said of Trump. “Because emotionally we’re not ready for it yet.”

Retired librarian Kathy Kline, who lives in Butler, said she supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential campaign and felt those opposed to Trump’s return were not given enough consideration. Kline belongs to a Facebook group called “Butler PA Women for Kamala Harris,” which has grown to about 1,500 members in recent months.

“I personally am never opposed to a political figure coming into our community and sharing their politics,” Kline said. “This is the American way. But you know, you have to come in with some respect and integrity and leave all the chaos and ugliness out of it.”

Barry Cummings’ cafe near the Farm Show grounds where the shooting occurred was closed shortly after the shooting. Immediately afterward, he said, he was determined to reach out to people who didn’t share his political views.

“I tried to listen rather than speak,” said Cummings, a registered Democrat. He wanted to “hear the feelings on the other side, you know, and I think that brought us a little closer together.”

Moving forward while thinking about the past

Kim Geyer, a Republican commissioner from Butler County, plans to attend Saturday’s rally, just as she did in July when she sat behind Trump.

“I kind of have mixed emotions, but I’m determined to keep going,” Geyer said. “I think the people who may be more severely affected will just stay home. And the people who want to feel the inspiration and energy of the Trump movement will come to support President Trump and let him finish what he started.”

Some Trump supporters have looked for ways to commemorate the assassination. An artist is working on a 9-foot-tall sculpture of Trump in Butler, although it’s unclear where it might be installed. Another artist, Butler metalworker and Trump supporter Bill Secunda, spent two weeks reworking an existing life-size Trump sculpture to better reflect his reaction after being shot, with his right arm raised and his fist clenched.

Secunda and a friend quietly installed it in a tent at the Butler Farm Show in August, where it became popular for selfies. He already had an offer of $50,000 for the sculpture.

“I don’t think I even saw a sour look, which was kind of surprising because, you know, I lost customers for doing a piece like that,” Secunda said.

Meanwhile, the Butler Historical Society has put plans to collect local residents’ stories about the shooting on hold, at least until the spring. The organization is examining how it could keep the stories secret for 75 years, as planned.

Geyer said she expects Butler supporters will find more ways to pay tribute to the victims.

“It was a tragic day and no one wishes it had happened or had happened in their county,” Geyer said. “I believe that the people who live and work here are resilient people. We will continue.”

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press