BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump returned on Saturday to the Pennsylvania fairgrounds where he was nearly assassinated in July, holding a sprawling rally with thousands of supporters in a critical swing state Trump hopes to return to his column in November's election. The former president and Republican nominee picked up where he left off back in July when a gunman tried to assassinate him and struck his ear.
As he had suggested he would for weeks beforehand, he began his speech with, “As I was saying,” and gestured toward an immigration chart that he was looking at when the gunfire began. The Trump campaign worked to maximize the event’s headline-grabbing potential with just 30 days to go in his race against his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Musician Lee Greenwood appeared on stage and serenaded him with “God Bless the USA,” frequently played at his rallies, and billionaire Elon Musk was expected to speak later Saturday.
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. Harris, too, has targeted her campaign efforts at Pennsylvania, rallying there repeatedly as part of her aggressive outreach in critical swing states . Early in his speech, Trump asked for a moment of silence to honor firefighter Corey Comperatore , who died as he shielded family members from gunfire.
Opera singer Christopher Macchio sang “Ave Ma.
