Former President Donald Trump on Friday announced the guest list for his Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear by a would-be assassin on July 13.
The Trump campaign announced the former president “will return to Butler, Pennsylvania to hold a rally on the very same ground where he took a bullet for democracy less than three months ago.” It included a list of more than 50 “special guests” who will be in attendance.
In its list of guests, the first six names are all family members of Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief who was killed by an assassin’s bullet meant for Trump while shielding his family from gunfire on July 13.
According to the Trump campaign website, Helen Comperatore, the widow of Corey Comperatore, will be in attendance, as will their daughters Allyson Comperatore and Kaylee Comperatore. Other members of the Comperatore family, including the fire chief’s sisters, will also be in attendance.
Corey Comperatore was the only person killed by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks on July 13. Trump previously attended Comperatore’s funeral service. In addition to Trump, two more attendees were injured by gunfire.
At least one of these men, David Dutch, will be a special guest at the Saturday rally. Others who volunteered at the July rally or attended as supporters will also be among the Trump campaign’s guests.
These include Dr. Jim Sweetland and Ed Shear, who the Trump campaign explained were at the July 13 rally as attendees but served as first responders after the attack.
In an interview immediately after the shooting, Sweetland identified himself as an emergency room physician and revealed he provided aid to Comperatore.
Perhaps the most well-known guest scheduled to attend the rally is Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump immediately after the July 13 assassination attempt.
After Trump announced his rally in a post to the social media platform X, which Musk purchased in 2022, he confirmed, “I will be there to support!”
I will be there to support! https://t.co/nokR0g3dn1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
The rally will also feature Trump’s vice presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), who was selected by Trump as his running mate shortly after the July assassination attempt.
Several Pennsylvania Republicans will also attend the event, including Representatives Dan Meuser (R-PA-09), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14), Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15), and Mike Kelly (R-PA-16).
Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick, who an attendee told The Pennsylvania Daily Star was in the line of fire during the July 13 assassination attempt, will also attend the rally.
McCormick praised the “remarkable strength” shown by Trump after the shooting when the former president pumped his fist and urged supporters to “fight, fight, fight.”
The Senate candidate has also laid the blame for the attack on the “dehumanizing” and “negative rhetoric” used by Democrats and the media and called the attempt on Trump’s life an opportunity for Americans to “step back from the brink.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Donald Trump” by Daniel Scavino Jr.
