Former President Trump returns to Butler for campaign event, Elon Musk attends
BUTLER, Penn. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania Saturday, where he held a camapaign rally at the same place he was almost assassinated nearly three months ago.
Trump addressed the crowd from behind a wall of bulletproof glass.
"For 16 harrowing seconds during the gunfire, time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper's perch not so far away, but by the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal," Trump remarked in reference to Thomas Crooks.
He talked about the assassination attempt, and honored Corey Comperatore, the former firefighter who was killed during the shooting as he was protecting his family.
"Of course there is one more hero who could not make it back here...because he is no longer with us. Right, you know who that is. Corey, our beautiful Corey. Corey is not with us...and he should be, and we all miss him," Trump remarked.
A memorial was set up in the very spot where Comperatore was sitting that day.
Trump also praised the Secret Service and first responders.
"First, I want to thank the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who threw their bodies on top of mine. Without even a thought for their own lives. They were, they were on top of me, so fast, they were on top of me. And there was not even a moment of doubt in their minds. You watch those tapes," Trump spoke.
Trump also thanked the Secret Service for acting during his second assassination attempt saying:
"And in that moment, those agents displayed a devotion to duty that cannot be described, and they did it yet again, less than three weeks ago, when they really did a fantastic job. Another attempt. It was another attempt. We have an evil world. We have a very sick world. My gratitude to them is beyond measure. We also owe a tremendous debt of thanks to the Secret Service counter sniper and a local police sniper."
He marked the minute that shots were fired with a moment of silence.
In an apparent reference to the Democratic Party, Trump said those trying to slander him, impeach him, and prosecute him, maybe even tried to kill him.
"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. But I've never stopped fighting for you, and I never will," Trump remarked.
Also in attendance was SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who says the upcoming election is the most important one of our lifetime.
"This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms. They want to take away your right to vote. Effectively," Musk spoke.
Musk wore a black MAGA hat, and praised the way Trump responded to getting shot in the ear at his previous rally in Butler in July.
Musk accused Democrats of wanting to take away people's right to vote, so he encouraged everyone to get out and vote because he said this could be the last election.
"If people don't know what's going on. If they don't know the truth, how can you make an informed vote. You must have free speech in order to have democracy. That's why it's the First Amendment, and the Second Amendment is there to ensure that we have the First Amendment," Musk said.
