Former President Donald Trump is planning a return to the western Pennsylvania town where he survived an assassination attempt.
In a July 26 post on his Truth Social platform, the 45th president said he will come back to Butler County for a rally to honor Corey Comperatore—a firefighter who was killed at the July 13 campaign rally as he reportedly dove in front of his wife and daughter to protect them—as well as two rallygoers who were critically injured.
“I will be going back to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero, Corey, and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago,” wrote the nation’s top Republican.
“What a day it will be—fight, fight, fight! Stay tuned for details,” he added.
Former President Trump did not attend the funeral but paid tribute to Mr. Comperatore during a speech at the Milwaukee convention on July 18.
Displaying Mr. Comperatore’s fire helmet and jacket, former President Trump called Mr. Comperatore “a fine man” and said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others.”
Mr. Comperatore, who celebrated his 50th birthday not too long ago, was a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves. He served in the early 2000s as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Sarver, Pennsylvania, and remained a member until his death.
At the July 13 Trump rally in Butler, about 13 miles from his home, Mr. Comperatore used his body as a shield for his wife and daughter against the bullets fired at former President Trump in an assassination attempt from the top of a nearby building, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro citing Mr. Comperatore’s wife. The would-be assassin was killed by a Secret Service sniper almost immediately after.
Former President Trump’s ear was pierced by one of the bullets. A surviving victim, 57-year-old David Dutch, has been discharged from hospital after a 11-day stay, while a second wounded rallygoer, 74-year-old James Copenhaver, remains hospitalized.
Almost two weeks after the attack, details have continually emerged on how the shooter’s assassination plan was hatched.
Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on July 24, FBI director Christopher Wray said investigators have found that on July 6, a week before the assassination attempt, the shooter used his laptop to search on Google, “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” That’s a reference to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Mr. Wray added that FBI investigators also determined two explosive devices were found in the shooter’s vehicle, calling those devices “relatively crude” but still could have been detonated remotely. A transmitter was found on his body.
The gunman also operated a drone roughly 200 yards from the stage, which might have broadcast a livestream roughly two hours before former President Trump took the stage.
The investigators say they have not found any suggestion he was helped by anyone or had any accomplices on the day of the shooting. They also “do not yet have a clear picture of his motive,” according to Mr. Wray.
“We’re not seeing [details on a motive] but we’re digging in hard because this is one of the central questions for us,” he said.
