Trump plans rally at Butler fairgrounds, site of 1st assassination attempt

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will return to the Butler Farm Show grounds for a rally on Oct. 5, nearly three months after he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt there this summer, his campaign said Wednesday.

Trump has campaigned heavily in Pennsylvania since that assassination attempt, but this will be his first time back in Butler County since a bullet grazed his right ear on July 13. Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, opened fire on Trump from a nearby rooftop before being shot and killed by the Secret Service.

Trump’s campaign said the former president will honor Corey Comperatore during the rally.

Comperatore, 50, of Buffalo Township, was shot and killed while shielding his wife and daughters from gunfire at the rally. Comperatore’s wife, Helen, told TribLive on Wednesday that she had been contacted by the Trump campaign and was aware of his plans to return to the farm show grounds, but she did not comment further.

Trump also plans recognize two other men who were wounded: David Dutch of Plum and James Copenhaver of Moon. Neither could be reached for comment.

The Trump campaign has hired a private security firm for the event and it is likely they will be at the fairgrounds by this weekend, according to Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche, chairperson of the board.

Osche said she believes that the heightened security around the event will make it safe.

Butler County Sheriff Michael T. Slupe said Wednesday night his office has not been contacted by the Secret Service to provide any security, but will assist them if requested.

“The visit (by Trump) will be very well guarded. I believe that the presence of law enforcement officers will make it safe. I would feel safe having my family on site,” Slupe said.

Political analysts saw Trump’s plans to return to the scene of the shooting as a good campaign strategy.

“I think the former president demonstrating resolve by returning to the scene of a tragic event is part of his broader messaging that he’s committed to this campaign despite risks and even threats to his own safety,” said Chris Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenburg College in Allentown. “It’s a very solid campaign strategy.”

Borick said the assassination attempt at the Butler rally has become something of a rallying cry for his supporters. Some have made merchandise and waved flags that depict Trump after the assassination attempt, with his fist raised and his ear bloodied.

Trump also was the target of another apparent assassination attempt on Sept. 15. That would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, was arrested after Secret Service agents spotted a rifle sticking out through shrubbery along Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf club, where the former president had been playing. Authorities said Routh fled after being spotted and fired upon, but he was arrested a short time later.

In a tight political race, Borick said energizing voters in Butler County and beyond who feel a connection to the former president could provide a boost.

“Because of the incredibly tight nature of the race, every decision is magnified, every decision of where you’re going to go, how many places you’re going to visit, what kind of ad you’re going to run,” he said. “This is a bit more significant than the normal stop. It has the potential to draw greater attention, which you want.”

It also raises concerns about safety, Borick said. There have been questions about whether it’s safe to have events in open, outdoor spaces — particularly since alarms were raised over this particular location in the wake of the attempted assassination.

“There are legitimate debates around where these types of rallies should take place given safety concerns and the incredibly charged political environment,” he said. “If you asked security experts, they would probably advise against open-air environments.”

Kristen Coopie, director of pre-law at Duquesne University and a professor who has taught various political science courses, said Trump’s decision to return to the site of the July 13 attempted assassination is a way to “almost assert power over it and show he’s not intimidated by what happened.”

“It’s very on-brand for former President Trump to try to capitalize on something that received a great deal of media attention and that he was personally victimized by,” Coopie added. “Reminding people about this, bringing up the issues of what might have led to the assassination attempt — he’s trying to use those now as part of his discourse about the race in general and the vitriol in politics.“

Since the July rally, security protocols have been updated for both Trump and Harris, particularly for outdoor events, she said. Candidates are now speaking from behind bulletproof glass when holding large outdoor events, she said, and security is sure to be tight for Trump’s upcoming Butler appearance.

Stacy Rosenberg, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College for the School of Public Policy & Management, said Trump tends to try to host events that will generate a lot of media coverage and bring out supportive crowds — and his planned Butler rally is sure to do both.

She said the planned rally is focused more on energizing supporters than winning over new ones.

“It’s all about turnout. Both candidates are going to areas that they think might be favorable to them to try to encourage people to show up on election day or to cast their ballots via mail-in,” she said. “I do think it is essentially (about) rallying the base versus changing hearts and minds.”

Staff writer Joyce Hanz contributed.