Trump Plans To Return To Site Of Shooting In Butler, Pennsylvania

Former President Donald Trump is planning to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he almost escaped assassination during a rally in July.

According to people acquainted with the Trump campaign’s plans, the second event will be held in the first week of October, precisely on October 5, at the same location where the first incident happened.

Leslie Osche, head of the Butler County Commissioners, confirmed that Trump’s upcoming rally will take place at the Butler Farm Show fairground. This is the exact location where gunman Thomas Crooks shot Trump during an outdoor campaign event on July 13. The incident resulted in two significant injuries and the death of Pennsylvania firefighter Corey Comperatore.

Although Trump was unharmed, the shots fired by Crooks grazed his ear, making the incident a close call for the former president. Crooks, who was on a rooftop around 400 feet from Trump, fired eight rounds in less than six seconds before being fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.

Following the assassination attempt, security at Trump’s rallies has been reinforced.

The United States Secret Service has placed at least five agents on leave, including the chief of the Pittsburgh field office, as part of an ongoing internal inquiry into the Butler incident. Trump has since delivered his addresses behind bulletproof glass as a preventive measure.

During an interview with CBS News political correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, Trump was asked if he experienced post-traumatic stress after the incident.

He responded by saying it was a “very close call” and that it was “a miracle” he survived. Trump attributed his survival to divine intervention, suggesting that God may have a purpose for him, perhaps to “save the country, maybe even the world.”

Trump’s increased security is warranted, as recent incidents have demonstrated. On September 15, Secret Service agents prevented another assassination attempt when they located a suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, hidden in woods near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club with a high-powered weapon.

Routh now faces federal gun charges and is expected to be charged with attempted assassination of a politician.

Despite the threats, Trump continues to hold public rallies. However, the former president has stated that the previous assassination attempt left him feeling “on edge.” During a rally in Uniondale, New York, on September 18, he suddenly trembled as it appeared that someone may rush the stage, even joking about his new “Yip problem,” a term used to describe involuntary twitches common in sports like golf and baseball.

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