Pennsylvania town grapples with Trump assassination attempt ahead of his return

A sign supporting Republican presidential nominee former U.S. President Donald Trump is posted in Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee yard in Zelienople, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

BUTLER, Pa. — Donald Trump is going back to Butler, where the world last saw him pump his fist and beseech followers to "fight," even as blood streaked his face from a would-be assassin's bullet.

In announcing his return, the former U.S. president and current Republican nominee said he planned to "celebrate a unifying vision for America's future in an event like the world has never seen before."

The question is: Is Butler ready?

While many are predicting a large crowd to hear Trump speak back at the very Farm Show property where a bullet grazed his right ear on July 13, there is also apprehension in town, along with a sense that Butler is still healing.

"I've consulted with, at least, like 500 people since this has happened," said registered nurse Shanea Clancy, who runs a mental health consulting service in Butler County and has seen people more anxious since the shooting. Some show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The big theme, if you will, is just, 'How did something like that happen in our backyard?"' Clancy said. "People don't expect trauma to show up at their door on any given day."

The assassination attempt has resonated deeply in the mountainous community north of Pittsburgh. Trump enjoys wide support there, having easily doubled Hillary Clinton's vote total on his way to winning the White House in 2016. He nearly did so again against Joe Biden in 2020. But Butler County was better for Democrats two years ago, when the party's gubernatorial nominee, Josh Shapiro, took about 43% of the vote there.

To claim the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania in November, Trump needs to drive up voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, an overwhelmingly white, rural-suburban community with a record of voting for Republicans.

Banking on better security

On Saturday, the former U.S. president will speak where thousands of people, including children, witnessed him and the others get shot. Former Buffalo Township Fire Company Chief Corey Comperatore was killed, while David Dutch and James Copenhaver were both hospitalized with injuries. U.S. Secret Service killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Stunned in the aftermath, some rally goers held impromptu prayer groups as they walked back to their cars. It seems just about everyone in Butler County was either at the rally or knows someone who was.

Last weekend, retired food service worker Sally Sarvey was picking up Trump signs and a T-shirt from a Republican Party tent at a street festival in nearby Slippery Rock. She said she will "make it a point" to witness Trump's return this Saturday, but she's mindful of what happened in July.

"Hopefully they'll have more security that acts faster," Sarvey said.

There are visible signs of the tension left behind. "Fight" graffiti -- echoing Trump's words in the immediate aftermath of the shooting -- began showing up around Butler County in the ensuing two weeks. In some places, the word "fight" on roadways was countered by another spray painted message: "love."

The assassination attempt has been the "No. 1 topic" of conversation since July 13, said Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee. He has so many lingering questions about the shooting and consequent investigations that he keeps a running list.

"There's a lot of activity going on right now, people wanting answers," Hulings said. "I am not in a minority there at all. There's a lot of people asking questions."

The shooting was 'a burden on all of us'

Police and emergency officials have faced questions from investigators looking into the shootings from the state police, FBI and Congress. The county government has fielded some 300 open records requests, five times what it normally gets in a year. Many are bracing for litigation that could extend for years.

"I'm not going to lie -- it's a burden on all of us," said Butler Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse. "It wears on you. And it's been a trying time the last several months."

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only Democrat holding countywide elected office in Butler, said what happened two months ago has some concerned about Saturday's rally. The previous security failure is the major issue, but authorities at the July event also contended with extreme heat and humidity that kept emergency responders busy treating people in distress even before the shooting. Several people required hospital treatment.

Boozel has fielded "plenty of emails saying, `Don't let him back here,"' he said of Trump. "Because emotionally, we're not ready for that."

Retired librarian Kathy Kline, who lives in Butler, said she supports U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race and feels there has been insufficient consideration for those who oppose Trump returning. Kline belongs to a Facebook group, "Butler PA Women for Kamala Harris," that's grown to some 1,500 members in recent months.

"I personally am never opposed to any political figure coming into our community and sharing their policies," Kline said. "That's the American way. But you know, you need to come in with some respect and integrity and leave all of that chaos and ugliness out of it."

Barry Cummings' coffee shop near the Farm Show property where the shooting occurred was closed briefly after the shooting. In the immediate aftermath, he said, he was determined to reach out to people who don't share his political views.

"I tended to try to listen more than speak," said Cummings, a registered Democrat. He wanted to hear "the feelings on the other side, you know, and I think that brought us a little closer together."

Moving forward while memorializing the past

Kim Geyer, a Republican Butler County commissioner, plans to attend the rally Saturday, just as she did in July when she sat behind Trump.

"I kind of have mixed feelings about it, but I'm resolved to moving forward," Geyer said. "I think that the people that may be affected more negatively are going to just stay home. And the people that want to feel the inspiration and the energy from the Trump movement are going to attend to support President Trump and let him finish what he began."

Some Trump supporters have been looking for ways to memorialize the attempted assassination. One artist is working on a 9-foot-high sculpture of Trump in Butler, although it's unclear where it might be installed. Another artist, Butler metal worker and Trump supporter Bill Secunda, spent two weeks reworking an existing life-sized Trump sculpture to better reflect his response after being shot, with his right arm raised and fist clenched.

Secunda and a friend quietly installed it in a tent at the Butler Farm Show in August, where it became popular for selfies. He's already had a US$50,000 offer for the sculpture.

"I don't even think I saw a sour look, which was kind of surprising because, you know, I've lost customers over doing a piece like that," Secunda said.

Meanwhile, the Butler Historical Society has put on hold until spring, at least, its plans to collect local residents' stories about the shooting. The organization is looking into how it would keep the stories sealed for 75 years, as had been the plan.

Geyer said she expects Butlerites will find more ways to pay tribute to the victims.

"It was a tragic day and nobody wishes it happened or occurred in their county," Geyer said. "I believe that the people who live and work here are resilient people. We're going to move forward."