Thousands of Trump supporters turned out early in the morning to see President Trump make his historic return to Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, after his July 13 rally was cut short by an attempted assassination.
A massive line was formed at approximately 7 am ET, ten hours before President Trump is scheduled to take the stage.
About an hour later, the line was half a mile long with thousands of supporters early for the 5 pm speech.
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Doors to the rally opened at 10 am, and thousands filed in before rally programming began.
Initial crowd size estimates by the Butler County Sheriff are reportedly 50,000 to 60,000 attendees.
During his last speech in Butler, Trump was shot in the ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks mid-rally, and he immediately ducked for cover as counter-snipers took the shooter out. Iconically, Trump stood up moments later and began pumping his fist, chanting “Fight, fight, fight.”
One rallygoer was killed in the shooting, and two others were injured. Crooks fired the shot on top of a nearby building, where Secret Service counter snipers had a clear view of the shooter from their position at a higher elevation than the shooter behind Trump, yet they did not act. Crooks accessed the building with a ladder he bought at Home Depot the same day as the shooting.
As The Gateway Pundit later reported, several people witnessed the shooter crawling on the roof of a local building with a rifle and notified law enforcement before Trump was shot, but the Secret Service did not act until Trump was shot. According to later reports, a police officer encountered the shooter on the roof but let him go after he pointed the gun at him and before he shot Trump. Initial investigations into the matter have left more questions than answers. For example, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s excuse for leaving the building unmonitored by agents was that the building “has a sloped roof at its highest point” and it wouldn’t be safe. However, it was revealed that the Secret Service positioned agents on steeper surfaces, proving that she lied.
The Secret Service’s past incompetence or complicity led to the death of Corey Comperatore, injuries of two Americans, and the near-assassination of President Trump.
Outside of the rally venue, a memorial for Conperatore, who heroically died while protecting his family from the incoming fire, honors the fallen hero.
Also surrounding the rally site are increased security measures, including shipping containers between the AGR Building, where Thomas Matthew Crooks positioned himself to kill President Trump, and the stage to block a potential line of fire.
Additionally, counter sniper teams are positioned throughout the area:
The Secret Service said in a statement to media outlets,
Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations.
Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.
Regarding the October 5 event in Butler, we are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township.
We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology. To maintain the integrity of our protective operations, we cannot go into specifics regarding the security enhancements.
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