Butler awaits Trump’s visit | News, sports, work

Jim Perry, who witnessed the assassination of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, plans to attend an upcoming rally, sits outside Cummings Candy & Coffee in Butler, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) – Donald Trump returns to Butler, where the world last saw him clench his fist and implore supporters to “fight,” even as blood ran down his face from the would-be assassin’s bullet.

Announcing his return, the former president and current Republican Party candidate said he planned to do so “celebrate a unifying vision for America’s future in an event the likes of which the world has never seen before.”

The question is: is Butler ready?

While many anticipate Trump will listen to a large audience at the same Farm Show facility where a bullet grazed his right ear on July 13, there is also concern around town and a sense that Butler is still recovering.

“Since this incident, I have consulted with at least 500 people.” said registered nurse Shanea Clancy, who runs a mental health clinic in Butler County and has noticed people are more anxious since the shooting. Some show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The main theme, so to speak, is simply, ‘How did something like this happen in our backyard?’” Clancy said. “People don’t expect trauma to show up at their door every day.”

The assassination attempt reverberated deeply in the mountain community north of Pittsburgh. Trump enjoys widespread support there, having easily doubled Hillary Clinton’s votes en route to winning the White House in 2016. He almost did it again against Joe Biden in 2020. But Butler County was better for Democrats two years ago ago, when that party’s gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro won about 43% of the vote there.

To win the key swing state of Pennsylvania in November, Trump must increase voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, a predominantly white rural and suburban community that has a history of voting Republican.

Choose greater security

On Saturday, the former president will speak at the place where thousands of people, including children, witnessed him and others being shot. Former Buffalo Township Fire Company fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed, and David Dutch and James Copenhaver were taken to the hospital with injuries. The US Secret Service killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Stunned by the aftermath, some rally participants held impromptu prayer groups as they returned to their cars. It seems almost everyone in Butler County was at the rally or knows someone who was.

Last weekend, retired food service worker Sally Sarvey collected Trump signs and a T-shirt from the Republican Party tent during a street festival in nearby Slippery Rock. She said she would do it “concentrate” will witness Trump’s return next Saturday, but he has the events of July in mind.

“I hope they will have more security that will work faster.” Sarvey said.

There are visible signs of tension left behind. “Fight” graffiti — echoing Trump’s words immediately after the shooting — began appearing in Butler County over the next two weeks. A word in some places “fight” another spray-painted message was placed on the roads: “Love.”

There was an assassination attempt “NO. 1 topic” talks since July 13, said Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee. He has so many questions about the shooting and the resulting investigations that he keeps a running list.

“There are a lot of things going on right now, people want answers.” Hulings said. “I’m not in the minority there at all. A lot of people are asking questions.”

Shooting was ‘a burden on all of us’

Police and emergency officials faced questions from shooting investigators from state police, the FBI and Congress. County officials filed about 300 records requests, five times the usual number in a year. Many people are preparing for court disputes that may drag on for years.

“I won’t lie – it’s a burden on all of us.” said Butler Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse. “It tires you out. And it’s been a difficult time these last few months.”

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only Democrat to hold countywide elected office in Butler, said what happened two months ago caused some concern about Saturday’s rally. The main concern is a previous security failure, but authorities also grappled with extreme heat and humidity during the July event, which kept rescuers busy treating vulnerable people even before the shooting. Several people required hospital treatment.

Boozel entered the game “many emails saying, ‘Don’t let him come back here'” – he said about Trump. “Because emotionally we are not ready for it.”

Retired librarian Kathy Kline, who lives in Butler, said she supports Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race and believes that not enough attention has been paid to those who oppose Trump’s return. Kline belongs to a Facebook group, “Women of Butler PA for Kamala Harris,” in recent months this number has increased to approximately 1,500 members.

“Personally, I am never opposed to any politician coming to our community and sharing their politics,” he added. Kline said. “It’s the American way. But you know, you have to approach it with respect and honesty and leave all this chaos and ugliness behind.

Barry Cummings’ coffee shop near the Farm Show estate, where the shooting occurred, closed briefly after the shooting. He said that in the immediate aftermath of the event, he was determined to reach out to people who did not share his political views.

“I tried to listen more than I talked.” said Cummings, a registered Democrat. He wanted to hear “You know, the feelings on the other side, and I think it brought us a little bit closer.”

Move forward, remembering the past

Kim Geyer, a Republican Butler County commissioner, plans to attend Saturday’s rally, as she did in July, when she sat for Trump.

“I have mixed feelings about this, but I am committed to moving forward.” Geyer said. “I think people who might be more negatively affected will just stay home. And people who want to feel the inspiration and energy of the Trump movement will come to support President Trump and let him finish what he started.”

Some Trump supporters looked for ways to commemorate the assassination attempt. One artist is working on a 9-foot-tall Trump sculpture in Butler, although it is unclear where it will be installed. Another artist, Butler metalworker and Trump supporter Bill Secunda, spent two weeks altering an existing life-size sculpture of Trump to better reflect his reaction after being shot, with his right hand raised and his fist clenched.

Secunda and a friend quietly installed it in a tent at the Butler Farm Show in August, where it became popular for selfies. He already had an offer of $50,000 for the sculpture.

“I don’t even think I saw a sour look, which was kind of surprising because, you know, I’ve lost customers for doing something like that.” – Secunda said.

Meanwhile, the Butler Historical Society has postponed plans to collect local residents’ stories about the shooting until at least spring. The organization is considering how it would keep these stories secret for 75 years as planned.

Geyer said she expects Butlerites to find more ways to pay tribute to the victims.

“It was a tragic day and no one would want something like this to happen in their county,” he added. Geyer said. “I believe that the people who live and work here are resilient people. We’re going to move forward.”