Former President Donald Trump is headed back to Butler, Pennsylvania — the site of the first assassination attempt against him.
The last vision of Trump in Butler is of him with his fist raised as he was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents with blood trickled down his right ear, the Associated Press reported.
The Republican nominee for president said he wants to “celebrate a unifying vision for America’s future in an event like the world has never seen before.”
Trump is set to speak Saturday at the same venue — a Farm Show property — where a bullet grazed his ear.
However, Butler and the surrounding area are still healing from the events of July 13 that also resulted in the death of a spectator.
“I’ve consulted with, at least, like 500 people since this has happened,” said Shanea Clancy, a registered nurse who runs a mental health consulting service in Butler County.
More people in Butler have experienced anxiety and show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.
“The big theme, if you will, is just, ‘How did something like that happen in our backyard?’” Clancy said. “People don’t expect trauma to show up at their door on any given day.”
Some present at the July rally held impromptu prayer groups as they walked back to their cars after the shooting.
Last weekend, retired food service worker Sally Sarvey said she will be there Saturday for Trump’s visit.
Sarvey, who was picking up Trump signs and a T-shirt from a Republican Party tent at a street festival in nearby Slippery Rock, said she will “make it a point” to go to the rally, but she’s keeping in mind what happened in July.
“Hopefully they’ll have more security that acts faster,” she said.
Trump’s return to western Pennsylvania is crucial given Pennsylvania is a battleground state.
Butler County is an “overwhelmingly white, rural-suburban community with a record of voting for Republicans,” per the AP.
According to Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee, the assassination attempt has been the “No. 1 topic” of conversation since July 13.
And people want answers to what happened that day. He himself keeps a tally of the questions he has.
“There’s a lot of activity going on right now, people wanting answers,” Hulings said. “I am not in a minority there at all. There’s a lot of people asking questions.”
Local police and emergency officials have been peppered with questions from the Pennsylvania State Police, FBI and Congress.
Currently, there are about 300 open records requests filed in the county government. This is five times the normal requests in a year.
“I’m not going to lie — it’s a burden on all of us,” Butler Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse said. “It wears on you. And it’s been a trying time the last several months.”
Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only Democrat in that role, said safety is a big concern.
Boozel has received “plenty of emails saying, ‘Don’t let him back here,’” he said of Trump. “Because emotionally, we’re not ready for that.”
Former Buffalo Township Fire Company Chief Corey Comperatore was killed by the gunfire at the first rally. David Dutch and James Copenhaver were both hospitalized.
The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by the U.S. Secret Service.
