Donald Trump returns to site of Pennsylvania assassination attempt for Butler rally, with Elon Musk joining him on stage
Elon Musk joined former president Donald Trump on stage during a campaign rally in Butler.
In short:
Donald Trump has returned to the Pennslyvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July.
The former US president began his speech with "as I was saying" before he was joined on stage by expected guest Elon Musk.
A highly visible heightened security presence was at the rally, with armed law enforcement officers in camouflage uniforms on roofs.
Donald Trump has returned to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, holding a sprawling rally with a massive crowd of supporters in a critical swing state he hopes to return to his column in November's election.
The former president and Republican nominee picked up where he left off in July when a gunman tried to assassinate him and struck his ear.
He began his speech with, "As I was saying," and gestured toward an immigration chart he was looking at when the gunfire began.
"… Right here in Pennsylvania, we have bled together," he said.
"We've bled."
Mr Trump needs to drive up voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, an overwhelmingly white, rural-suburban community, if he wants to win Pennsylvania in November.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, too, has targeted her campaign efforts at Pennsylvania, rallying there repeatedly as part of her aggressive outreach in critical swing states.
Trump calls would-be assassin Thomas Cooks 'vicious monster'
The Trump campaign worked to maximise the event's headline-grabbing potential with just 30 days to go and voting already underway in some states in his race against the vice-president.
At the beginning of the rally, Mr Trump asked for a moment of silence to honour firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died as he shielded family members from gunfire.
Standing behind protective glass that now encases the stage at his outdoor rallies, Mr Trump called the would-be assassin "a vicious monster" and said he did not succeed "by the hand of providence and the grace of God".
There was a very visible heightened security presence, with armed law enforcement officers in camouflage uniforms on roofs.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk gestures during the campaign rally in Butler.
One of the guests of the evening was Mr Musk, who climbed on the stage on Saturday jumping and pumping his fists in the air after Mr Trump introduced him as a "great gentleman" and said he "saved free speech".
Mr Musk, who bought Twitter and rebranded it as X and has pushed into conservative politics, met with Mr Trump and running mate JD Vance backstage, donning a black "Make America Great Again" hat.
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Vance criticised Democrats for calling Mr Trump "a threat to democracy", saying that kind of language was "inflammatory".
"You heard the shots. You saw the blood. We all feared the worst. But you knew everything would be OK when President Trump raised his fist high in the air and shouted, 'Fight, fight!'" said Mr Vance, who was chosen as his vice-presidential nominee less than two days later.
A massive crowd packed bleachers, folding chairs and the expansive field stretching to the venue's edges.
Much of the crowd waited several hours for Mr Trump.
About half an hour into his speech, Mr Trump paused his speech for more than five minutes after an attendee had a medical issue and needed a medic.
AP
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-06/donald-trump-returns-to-assassination-attempt-rally/104438024(责任编辑：admin)
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