There was always a possibility that Donald Trump would return to Butler. He wanted to go back to the place where he almost died.
That moment exactly 12 weeks ago was more than just a near-death experience. For his most loyal supporters, it underlined his increasingly sacred status.
In the crowd, Trump’s sign had been redesigned, with “Trump” replaced with “Yes.” One supporter arrived carrying a life-sized cross.
As always, the choreography was perfect for the audience. As his plane, named TRUMP, flew low overhead, the Top Gun theme echoed across the Pennsylvania countryside.
There was a huge cheer at the flypast. Photographers on board captured images of the huge crowd below, at the same venue where an assassination attempt in July rocked the extraordinary campaign.
He took to the same stage, but this time in safer conditions, on a podium surrounded by bulletproof glass on three sides.
“Like I was saying…” he said, recovering from his July hiatus. He pointed to the same chart he had turned around to look at at the time. It was the tilt of his head that saved his life.
Image: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Photo: Associated Press
It started as a night of reflection. It was a night to remember the life of Corey Comperatore, who was killed in a shooting that grazed the former president.
“We’re here for a reason and that’s to win… and to honor Corey. But Corey wants us to win too,” he said.
There was a moment of silence, and then an operatic rendition of “Ave Maria” began to play. It was heart-wrenching, but also intentionally and overtly political.
Then came another moment that set this rally apart from others. Elon Musk, a tech billionaire with such huge influence online, was dazzling in his presence. He jumped on stage and filled the air with childlike enthusiasm.
The world’s richest man’s central message to people in a town where the average salary is less than a third of the national average was to get out and vote. “Make sure you register,” he said, suggesting his campaign was nervous about voter turnout.
“The other side is trying to take away freedom of speech,” he said. “They want to take away your right to bear arms. They want to take away your right to vote.”
Image: Photo: Reuters
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None of that is true, but that doesn’t seem to matter to a man who was once apolitical but is now all in for Trump.
The mass shooting in July, and Trump’s surprising response to it, provided a major boost to his campaign. But it was a campaign against Joe Biden at the time.
Now, Kamala Harris is his opponent, the polls are significantly closer, and the rally has fallen into a familiar meandering rhythm. He communicated things like push-button issues in one sentence, in trademark format.
“All the immigrants coming in are working between Medicare, Social Security, and other programs, and no one can afford it. I will solve the Ukraine war, end and stop the chaos in the Middle East. I promise. Yes, there will be no World War III, and now we will lead the world in space exploration – thank you, Elon – we will lead the world before our military service ends. “We could reach Mars in the next few days,” he said.
Here they see him as a living martyr. That’s why he came back. To revive that moment of defiance in a win-win situation, with the election so close and only a month left.
