Elon Musk will join Trump at Butler rally months after assassination attempt: Live

“Donald Trump took a bullet for us. Please use your ballot and have his back on November 5,” Scott Presler told the crowd on Saturday.

The controversial campaigner, who boasts millions of followers across his various social media accounts, has been trying to urge Trump supporters in Pennsylvania to sign up for mail-in ballots — a message that directly contradicts that of the former president, who has repeatedly ragged on mail-in voting.

“Democrats vote for 50 days, Republicans vote for 12 hours. If we are going to be competitive in this election, then we must use an ‘all of the above’ approach to voting,” Presler previously told The Independent.

Presler’s efforts have won the support of Eric and Lara Trump.

Richard Hall has the full story.

God “spared Donald Trump’s life because he was not finished with Donald Trump. He did it not once but twice,” said Lara Trump, Eric’s wife and the co-chair of the RNC, referring to the two assassination attempts against the former president in the past two months.

The former president operates with “strength and faith,” he said.

Lara Trump also mentioned the RNC’s efforts toward what she called “transparent elections.”

“If you are a person considering cheating our elections, we will find you, we will track you down, we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law. If you’re an illegal citizen voting in our election, we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law — and you’re leaving this country.”

Her claims come after Trump and his allies have been baselessly claiming that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.

“They tried to kill him. The Democratic party can’t do anything right,” Eric Trump, the former president’s son said as he took the stage on Saturday evening.

“They” have been after his father since he walked down the golden escalator, he said.

He didn’t define “they,” but it seemed to refer to the Justice Department which has been investigating his father, the suspected Butler shooter, and perhaps the Democrats.

“The good news? Help is on the way,” he said, referring to his father.

The younger Trump sparked the crowd to chant: “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Steve Witkoff, an investor and longtime Trump ally, was with the former president at Mar-a-Lago during the last alleged assassination attempt.

He has donated more than $2 million to Trump-connected PACs, and he briefly testified during the fraud trial in Manhattan.

Witkoff called the former president a “dear friend” on the stage of the Butler rally on Saturday.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said in September that the agency has been providing the “highest levels” of protections for presidential candidates since the July 13 assassination attempt.

The agency has endured intense scrutiny, prompting its chief at the time to resign after the July attack.

A number of security measures have been put in place for Saturday, a law enforcement told The Independent. The Secret Service will work out of a “unified command post” with state, local and federal partners, a source in law enforcement familiar with the plan said. There will be “a large coordinated presence of law enforcement,” the source added.

The agencies have “secured some of the sight lines,” like the rooftop from which the 20-year-old shooter opened fire. Drones will also be on the site; in July, the drone system was experiencing technical difficulties.

Trump has faced two attempts against his life in the past few months. But since the first attack, Trump made it clear that he planned on returning to the Butler site.

A week ahead of the Saturday rally, Trump anticipated the venue would be the “safest place on Earth.” He quipped that he’ll start the Saturday rally right where he left off in July: “I think I’ll start the speech by saying, ‘As I was saying.’”

The investigation into the Butler rally shooting suspect is still underway — and a motive has yet to be uncovered.

In August the FBI revealed the suspect, who was shot dead on the scene by Secret Service agents, engaged in “detailed attack planning” leading up to the rampage.

The agency conducted a deep dive into his search history from 2019 until 2024, discovering that the 20-year-old supsect had looked up information related to explosives, like how to make a bomb from fertilizer,” and “how do remote detonators work.”

The investigation led to “valuable insight into his mindset, but not a definitive motive,” an agent said in August.

The 5pm rally at the site of the first assassination attempt against Donald Trump is set to be ‘different’ from the typical Trump rally, his campaign has said.

For one, it will feature a number of “special guests,” according to the campaign.

JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, first took the stage, saying it was “incredible how Trump responded to all of this,” referring to the attempt on Trump’s life.

Elon Musk announced he was speaking at the event.

The former president’s son Eric Trump and his wife Lara, who also co-chairs the RNC, Republican members of Congress, and the family of the man killed at the July 13 rally — Corey Comperatore — will also be present.

Best-selling author and vocal Trump critic Stephen King has once again called out the former president — this time for refusing to release his medical records.

In 2015, Trump provided a four-paragraph letter from his doctor, who claimed he would be the “healthiest person ever elected to the presidency.” But now, the 78-year-old who would be 82 at the end of his term, should he be re-elected, has still not released his medical records.

Inga Parkel has the full story.