Former President Donald Trump began speaking at perhaps one of the largest campaign rallies in U.S. history in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Republican presidential candidate returned not only to the scene of the assassination attempt, but also to the immigration docket that would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks referenced when he attempted to kill him on July 13.
But Trump wasn't the only star of the event.
Also in attendance were vice presidential candidate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, SpaceX owner and founder Elon Musk, and a nurse who helped care for Trump at Butler Memorial Hospital. .
perfect timing
“Exactly 12 weeks ago tonight, in this very place, a cold-blooded assassin sought to silence me and silence MAGA, the greatest movement in the history of our country,” President Trump said.
For a harrowing 16 seconds between shots, time stood still as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from its sniper's perch not too far away. However, by providence and God's grace, the villain was unable to achieve his goal. I didn't come close. He didn't stop us. He didn't break our spirits.
About 12 minutes into his speech, President Trump remembered Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed in an assassination attempt.
President Trump said, “I hope that every American father and husband will have the tremendous courage, the tremendous courage, that Corey had when the time comes.” . He wanted to protect his family, and he did protect them. ”
“It's now 6:11 p.m.,” Trump continued, “12 weeks after the shootings began. I ask you all to observe a moment of silence.”
The bell rang four times, and tenor Christopher Macchio sang composer Franz Schubert's “Ave Maria.”
“I will never quit. I will never bend. I will never break. I will never give in, even in the face of death itself,” Trump said.
President Trump's speech included the usual talking points about the economy and immigration, but Elon Musk and J.D. Vance had more important remarks.
Both men warned that Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is threatening “democracy,” but this does not describe America's constitutional republic, but rather in the colloquial sense that Harris is America's It is a clear and present danger to our way of life and to our fundamental society. Freedoms that all Americans are entitled to.
Musk: “Trump must win''
Musk spoke for about six minutes, warning that Trump's defeat in November would mean the end of free speech and elections.
“The true test of a person's character is how they conduct themselves under fire,” Musk said. “And we had a president who couldn't walk up the stairs, and we had a president who was fist-pumping after he got shot. Fight, fight, fight! Blood coming down his face.”
“I think this election is the most important election of our lifetimes,” he continued.
This is no ordinary election. The other person is trying to take away your freedom of speech. They are trying to take away your right to bear arms. They are trying to take away your right to vote. … Currently, 14 states do not require voter ID. California, where I used to live, just passed a law banning voter ID for voting. I still can't believe it's true. So how can you conduct a proper election if you don't have ID? It's pointless.
And freedom of speech is the foundation of democracy. And if people don't know the truth about what's going on, how can they cast an informed vote? Freedom of speech is necessary for democracy to exist. That's why it's the first amendment. And the Second Amendment exists to ensure the First Amendment.
President Trump must win to preserve the Constitution. He must win to protect American democracy.
The crowd began chanting, “We want Trump.”
Musk described this election as a “must-win situation” and said he had one request. “Register to vote and drag everyone you know and everyone you don’t know to register to vote. …And make sure they actually vote. If you don’t, this This will be the last election.”
“Fight, fight, fight. Vote, vote, vote,” Musk concluded.
Vance: Harris is the real threat to Americans
Mr. Vance accused Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats of not only their violent rhetoric leading up to the assassination attempt, but also similar hate speech that followed.
“As I stand here today, I am convinced that what happened is a true miracle,” Vance said of Trump's survival. “And on that day America felt the truth of the Bible: 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.'”
“I truly believe that God saved President Trump's life that day,” he continued.
Mr. Vance indicted Mr. Harris and other far-left Democrats who continued to call Mr. Trump a “threat to democracy.”
“Sadly, our adversaries did not listen to Abraham Lincoln and did not listen to the better angels of our nature,” Vance said.
They continue to use dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric even after a horrific assassination attempt that claimed one life and left many others dead. The media continues to call Donald Trump, who actually won the primary, a threat to democracy.
Democratic senators called Donald Trump an existential threat to our democracy. Kamala Harris said it was attacking “the foundations of our democracy.”
And I think you'll join me in saying this to Kamala Harris. Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy. What on earth did you do? ? ”
Vance said Harris has “declared war” on the First Amendment and has “proudly said she wants to censor the internet.” And Tim Walz said there is no guarantee of free speech. ”
Censorship is the “first step” in crushing freedom and political opposition, he continued. “Look at everything they’ve done to President Trump.”
But silencing Trump didn't stop him, Vance said, and jailing didn't stop him.
“And given all the hate they spewed against President Trump, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to kill him,” Vance said.
And that's exactly what happened not only here in Butler, Pennsylvania, but also a few weeks later in Florida.
Three weeks ago, while they were still out and attacking him as a threat to democracy, another gunman armed with an AK-47 style rifle tried to finish the job.
In fact, the Florida gunman wrote “Democracy is on the ballot” before trying to kill Donald Trump, which he first wrote after Kamala Harris denounced Trump as a dictator. These were the exact same words he had written a few days before the attempt on his life.
husband and father
Sally Sheri, the paramedic who treated Trump, spoke in front of the 45th president. She recalled:
The man we often see on TV, the man with a strong personality, who sometimes stumbles over his words, and who comes across as a wealthy, powerful businessman, was not the man I stood next to that night.
What I saw was a man resilient after one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.
He showed strength and courage. He showed that family is on the front lines. He was a husband, father, and grandfather. He was sympathetic and grateful. He was a kind and humble man. Several times I stood up and looked at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. …I held the hand of the man who sent out the mean tweets and thanked him for loving our country and fighting for our freedoms.
Artist Scott Robaid has unveiled a stunning portrait of Comperatore.
The crowd size is estimated to range from 20,000 to more than 100,000 people.
“I'm not sure of the total attendance, but it may be the largest I've ever seen,” NBC News' Jake Taylor wrote in X.
