Trump returns to Pennsylvania with Musk's backing

Those who want to stop us … have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me, said former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Billionaire Elon Musk added that if Trump loses, these will be the last elections in America.

Over the past eight years, those who want to stop us from achieving this future have slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and who knows, maybe even tried to kill me, said Trump.

The Republican candidate returned after less than three months to the same place in western Pennsylvania, where an assassin's bullet grazed his ear, and a supporter of the former president was killed in the attack.

"As I was saying..." began Trump's speech, referring to a chart of immigration statistics he was discussing on 13th July, when his appearance was interrupted by gunshots.

Tonight, I return to Butler in the aftermath of tragedy and heartache to deliver a simple message to the people of Pennsylvania and to the people of America: Our movement to make America great again stands stronger, prouder, more united, more determined and nearer to victory than ever before, declared the Republican leader, speaking from behind a protective glass.

At 6:11 PM (local time), the time of the attack, Trump ordered a moment of silence, during which "Ave Maria" was played in honour of the slain Trump supporter, firefighter Corey Comperatore.

Donald Trump recalled that during the July attack, Comperatore had the best seat in the house and was hoping the former president would invite him on stage.

Few expected that Corey would be on this stage three months later in an almost immortal character, and that's where he is today, he noted. Trump added that "I will never quit, I will never bend, I will never break, I will never yield — not even in the face of death itself."

The rest of Trump's speech was devoted to reiterating previous campaign messages. The former president argued, among other things, that America, if it has a "smart president," will not have a problem with external enemies, such as China, North Korea, and Russia, but the real threat is the internal enemy. He also claimed that during his presidency, America was more respected worldwide, and today everyone laughs at it. He repeated the promise to end the war in Ukraine.

At Saturday's rally - one of the largest in the current campaign - billionaire Elon Musk was present, appearing for the first time at a candidate's election rally. The owner of platform X stated that the current elections are "the most important election of our lifetime" because "This is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms. They want to take away your right to vote." He also encouraged people to register and vote.

If they don’t, this will be the last election. That’s my prediction. Nothing’s more important, Musk announced.

Musk openly endorsed Trump in the elections just after the attack in Butler and continues to support his campaign both financially (in the amount of over €91 million) and with posts on Twitter. Trump also announced that if he wins the election, he will place Musk at the head of a special committee ("government efficiency commission") tasked with developing a budget-cutting plan.

Alongside him, special guests included members of the family of the Trump supporter Corey Comperatore, killed by the Butler assassin, and vice-presidential candidate JD Vance.