BUTLER, Pennsylvania — Donald Trump on Saturday returned to the stage where he took an assassin’s bullet to send an unmistakable message — to fans and detractors alike — that the man and the movement he has led since descending the golden escalator live on.
Trump’s second rally in Butler, days before Election Day, represented a starter’s pistol for the final sprint of the campaign — just eight weeks after a bullet struck Trump on that very spot.
Perhaps more importantly, the event firmly planted the America First flag in the war-torn turf of American politics.
The movement is alive and well, and defiant as ever.
Trump’s resilience has been remarkable, befuddling Democrats and the few remaining obstinate remnants of the pre-Trump Republican Party. He has persisted through impeachments, multiple criminal and civil lawsuits, attempts to kick him off the ballot, attacks on the business empire he created, and now multiple attempts on his life.
Disbelieving Democrats grew so desperate to stop Trump and his movement they took the unprecedented step of replacing the sitting president of the United States on the ballot against his will.
“First, they tried to silence him,” Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, told the roaring crowd. “When that didn’t work, they tried to bankrupt him. When that didn’t work, they tried to jail him. And with all the hatred they’ve spewed at President Trump, it was only a matter of time before somebody tried to kill him.”
The July 13 attempt on Trump’s life was never from mind. In addition to Trump’s, another name was on the lips of rallygoers.
“Corey.”
Weaving through the crowd, one couldn’t escape multiple mentions of Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed July 13 by the assassin who trained his sights on Trump.
Comperatore has become a folk hero among Trump’s supporters, who view him as one of their own. Throughout the event, multiple chants of “Corey! Corey! Corey!” erupted from the crowd. Many brought memorials and signs honoring Comperatore and his family.
Trump led a moment of silence for Comperatore which culminated in a stirring performance of “Ave Maria” from renowned classical singer Christoper Macchio.
But while the rally appropriately had its somber moments, the mood for the majority of the day was celebratory.
Trump, the consummate showman, took the stage alongside Lee Greenwood as he sang his iconic anthem “God Bless the USA.” The crowd went wild.
Many had tears in their eyes. The president, their president, was alive, and he was not done fighting for them.
“Don’t stop, keep fighting, we need it,” one Pennsylvania resident attending his first Trump rally told Breitbart he would tell Trump. “We all support you out here. We’re here, man.”
Most political rallies are inherently political in nature, full of bland talking points and cringey, forced applause breaks.
Trump’s rallies are not so much traditional political events as organic celebrations of American patriotism. There are speeches and music, but the crowd itself is an essential feature.
“The difference is you, you, me, and everyone else here,” an attendee told Breitbart.
Of course, these people love Trump, and they love their country. But they love each other too. Countless attendees Saturday took photos together, exchanging numbers and Instagram handles.
Democrats mock Trump for focusing on his crowd sizes. But he does so because he understands the people are the true stars of his movement.
The event space Saturday was packed shoulder to shoulder from the stage back to the metal detectors. More than 105,000 people attended, the Trump campaign told Breitbart News.
That’s a lot of gas money, and a boon for babysitters and hoteliers (hotels were booked solid over an hour’s drive from the rally).
Yet the people came in droves.
The members of the crowd are immovably with Trump because they feel they have suffered alongside him. His opponents – the global elites, the establishment politicians, the dishonest media – are the same forces that have kept them down.
Saturday, the crowd rejoiced that after years of attacks from those forces culminating in his being shot there in Butler, Trump had survived. And with only a month before Election Day, his improbable march back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue appears more likely than ever.
They came not just to support him, but to thank him.
A first-time rally attendee from Sacramento, California told Breitbart she came to the rally because she was “proud of him, that’s why we’re here. We’re so proud of him. The next president!”
She said she would tell Trump “you know we love you, you know we support you. You give us faith, you give us hope. You’re our only hope!”
The extravaganza had all the hallmarks of a typical Trump rally – Brick Suit guy, the cadre of North Carolina ladies who have attended well over 200 rallies together, and Trump merchandise everywhere.
But this time, the energy was different, emotions amplified.
“Historical,” a rallygoer described the event to Breitbart News. “We didn’t wanna miss this moment in history.”
Trump’s return “shows America’s spirit: adapt, persevere, overcome,” another added. “He’s not afraid. It shows true courage, who he really is.”
The program represented the strength not only of the ticket but the movement and those who are a part of it.
Vance’s overwhelming reception, just days after his romp in the vice-presidential debate, signaled that the America First movement has a champion for the next generation.
Eric and Lara Trump, the latter the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, were cheered like heroes. Women in the crowd audibly swooned at each mention of the couple’s children.
Make no mistake, Eric and Lara are stars within the movement.
Lara Trump recognized conservative activist Scott Presler, who has been a force registering voters in Pennsylvania and across the country. Presler has reached celebrity status for his doggedness in mobilizing Americans to the polls, and the crowd made their appreciation abundantly apparent.
Even Elon Musk, the billionaire and former Barack Obama supporter, joined the stage to encourage Americans to register to vote and get to the polls for Trump.
“Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to preserve democracy in America,” he told the crowd. “This is a must-win situation.”
Local celebrities were there supporting Trump as well.
Brian Minto, a retired professional boxer and Butler native, told Breitbart News that Pennsylvania would go for Trump as it did in 2016.
“You look at the crowd here today, it’s a no brainer,” Minto said, adding “we pray and hope for him to take over leadership at the White House and change everything that’s going on right now.”
Minto’s appearance at the rally added to the excitement and energy.
“This guy was ranked tenth in the world!” one jubilant attendee exclaimed.
The celebration included plenty of entertainment. The crowd was treated to Breitbart’s own Jon Kahn’s viral megahit “Fighter” as the music video played on the massive screens.
Those three minutes may have been the quietest of the day. Many eyes grew watery. Thousands more fists were pumped defiantly into the air.
After Trump’s speech, Macchio returned to the stage to treat attendees with a concert, with Trump standing beside him in approval and admiration, the huge American flag draped from cranes fluttering in the background. Even with the sun and temperatures dropping, the crowd remained.
But the sun did not set on MAGA. And Saturday’s rally captured its enduring strength.
Opponents of the movement call it populism, nationalism, extreme MAGAism, and many other unprintable terms. But Trump’s triumphant return to Butler sent an impossible to deny message that the America First philosophy that he successfully harnessed in 2016 to trigger a political realignment across the globe will not go gentle into that good night.
“Our movement to make America great again stands stronger, prouder, more united, more determined, and nearer to victory than ever before,” Trump told the crowd.
Millions of Americans mobilized by Trump are determined to keep that movement going – in the 2024 election and beyond.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
