Donald Trump and his supporters make a triumphant return to the scene of his first assassination attempt
It is a testament to the courage and fortitude of Donald Trump and his supporters that, on Saturday, tens of thousands returned to the scene of the first assassination attempt on the former president at Butler, Pa., to hear him speak.With questions still unanswered about why he was ever placed in harm’s way on July 13, Trump stood in the same place and spoke at the same time as he did when an assassin’s bullet came within a hair’s breadth of killing him on live television, but miraculously only clipped the top of his ear.His defiant return felt like a weighty moment in history, traced equally with awe and dread, but, this time at least, there was bulletproof glass in front of Trump as he stood on stage, counter-snipers were on every rooftop and giant containers shielded him from the roof of the unguarded building where 20-year-old shooter Thomas Crooks had taken aim. Many of the rallygoers were wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the unforgettable words Trump uttered moments after the attack when he rose from the ground (right), his face streaked with blood, raised his fist, and said: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” as the crowd roared with relief. “America is the home of the brave, and there’s no truer test than courage under fire, so who do you want representing America?” said Elon Musk, the billionaire MAGA convert who was invited onstage by Trump Saturday.“We had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist pumping after getting shot.”In the bleachers behind Trump, a firefighter’s helmet and jacket were stationed as a memorial to volunteer fireman Corey Comperatore, 50, who was killed by one of the bullets that missed Trump. Trump opened his remarks by paying tribute to Comperatore, whose family he had just met with backstage, and hailing survivors David Dutch and Jim Copenhaver, who were badly injured by other bullets. It was a somber speech, marked by a moment’s silence for the fallen Trump supporter, the toll...