Trump gives a defiant speech at the site of his assassination attempt

It started as a memorial event and ended as a standard rally speech.

After a shocking assassination attempt that brought the specter of political violence into an already tense White House campaign, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump returned to the scene Saturday to deliver a defiant speech, declaring: “I will never give in, not even in the face of death itself.”

His comments marked another dramatic moment in a heated race that has American voters on edge.

Trump’s return to Butler, Pennsylvania, exactly three months after he was shot there, marks a remarkable period in the country’s political life, as Democrats swapped their leading candidate and the Secret Service thwarted a second suspected assassination attempt on Trump.

The former Republican president is now speaking behind bulletproof glass in a campaign that is one of the most extraordinary in modern times – unstable, violent and high-stakes.

The Butler shooting did not appear to significantly alter the course of the race. President Joe Biden left office shortly afterwards and Vice President Kamala Harris has had a much stronger presence since taking office.

Yet it has become the central theme of Trump’s campaign, claiming he is a persecuted figure. Before Saturday, Trump had appeared in public at least 51 times since the shooting and made references to it in 31 of those appearances, according to a USA TODAY analysis.

Trump and his allies have linked the assassination to other difficulties, including his trials and impeachment proceedings.

“Those who want to stop us … have vilified me, impeached me, impeached me, tried to remove me from the ballot and, who knows, maybe even tried to kill me,” Trump said Saturday.

Trump did not mention the actual shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, by name in “Butler.” The FBI still hasn’t found a motive for Crooks. But that didn’t stop Trump’s allies from again claiming, without evidence, that Democrats’ rhetoric contributed to the shooting.

Trump initially struck a much more compassionate and empathetic tone Saturday than at his typically combative rallies, spending time honoring the victims of July 13. Rally participant Corey Comperatore was killed that day and two other participants were injured. Trump praised “our beautiful Corey” and met with his family before the event.

He also praised Butler’s U.S. Secret Service and public safety personnel, but ultimately lapsed into decidedly negative politics.

More: When Donald Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, there is one name he never mentions: Thomas Crooks

Trump noted that Election Day was just a month away, attacked migrants and promised mass deportations, criticized the Biden administration’s hurricane response, praised the performance of his Vice President JD Vance in the debate, protested the many investigations into his behavior and bragged about what he said were good poll numbers and criticized what he described as a “very corrupt political establishment.”

“I will never give up, I will never bow, I will never break, I will never give in – not even in the face of death itself,” Trump said.

At one point, Trump said, “We have an enemy within us,” but did not name him specifically. He also told supporters: “We have an evil world – we have a very sick world.”

Trump did not mention Harris or Biden at the beginning of his speech, but ended up using well-known rally speeches against “Kamala” and other Democrats.

He also told his supporters that “twelve weeks ago we all took a bullet for America” ​​and that an election victory for him would be “the greatest achievement in the history of politics.”

The rally also featured a special guest: billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who attacked Biden for his age and said Trump’s response to the shooting showed “courage under fire.” Musk also predicted dire consequences if Trump supporters did not register and vote.

“If not, this will be the last election,” Musk said. “That’s my prediction.”

Trump’s speech capped a daylong program that was part memorial service, part political rally and included Republican candidates, musicians, skydivers and a flypast by Trump’s plane.

“What a great audience,” Trump Vice President JD Vance said during his time on stage at the rally. “We are here to say we will not be intimidated – we cannot be stopped. We will not be turned away.”

While paying tribute to Trump and the shooting victims, Vance also attacked Harris and other Trump opponents for using “dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric” that created an atmosphere of violence.

“It was only a matter of time before someone tried to kill him,” Vance said.

Vance attacked Harris for calling the Republican nominee a threat to democracy, adding: “Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy – what the hell did you do?”

Vance made no mention of Trump’s own use of violent rhetoric throughout his political career.

The Trump campaign also tried to turn the Butler event into a fundraising opportunity.

Throughout the day, the campaign sent out fundraising appeals with a quote from Trump in all caps: “I’M BACK IN BUTLER TO TALK TO THE NATION!” If every PATRIOT raises $5, we will set a RALLY RECORD:”

While Vance criticized Democrats for inflammatory rhetoric, some of the Republican speakers in Butler themselves delivered self-indulgent rhetoric about the tense and close election.

“This is no longer a fight between Republicans and Democrats – left versus right – it’s about good versus evil,” said Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee. “And good will win this battle.”

(This story has been updated with new photos and information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump returns to Butler after shooting, declares ‘I will never back down’