Elon Musk plans to attend Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday at the Butler, Pennsylvania, location where the former president narrowly avoided assassination in July.
“I will be there to support!” the tech billionaire responded to a post from Trump on Musk’s social media platform X, saying he was returning to the Butler Farm show grounds.
Trump’s decision to hold the rally at the same outdoor location came after a series of harsh reports of Secret Service security lapses that allowed a gunman to open fire from a rooftop on the edge of the fairgrounds.
Related: Trump’s ground game operation is now largely managed by the Elon Musk-backed group
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, wounded the former president, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and seriously wounded two others when he took clear shots with an assault rifle before being killed by federal snipers.
The Pittsburgh Gazette said crowd estimates for Saturday’s planned event ranged from 15,000 to as many as 100,000. The Secret Service expects as many as 60,000 people.
“There is a pilgrim feeling at all meetings, but this will probably be the case the one,” Jen Golbeck, a professor at the University of Maryland, told the newspaper. “There are certainly people who feel — and say to me — that the hand of God has touched Trump.”
Trump said “I had God on my side” in surviving the shooting and the “prescient” moment, which also provided one of the most powerful images of the 2024 presidential campaign – and any election in US history. with Trump rising from a secret service position. cowering, blood streaming down his face, he raised his fist and shouted “Fight!”
Religious interpretations aside, the assassination attempt was the first of two attempts Trump has now faced. Last month, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly aimed to shoot the former president at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump has also faced continued death threats from Iran, which has also been accused of hacking his campaign.
Trump has accused the Biden administration of deliberately denying security resources to help Kamala Harris, the US vice president and his Democratic opponent in the November election, by preventing him from addressing large crowds, a hallmark of his political to live.
“They couldn’t offer me any help. And I’m so angry about it because what they’re doing is interfering with the election,” he said in an interview with Fox News.
There have been changes to what he can do during the campaign and Trump’s aides are on edge, the Associated Press reported. There have been death threats against his aides, and his team has been unable to quickly organize the mass rallies he prefers.
Armed security officers stand guard at the campaign’s headquarters in Florida, and staff have been told to remain vigilant and alert.
Events have been canceled and rescheduled because the Secret Service did not have the resources to secure them safely. Even with the use of glass barricades to protect Trump on stage, there are concerns about holding additional gatherings outdoors due to fears of drones.
Trump also now travels with a larger security footprint, with new traffic restrictions outside his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, and a line of dump trucks and big guns on display outside Trump Tower in New York when he stays there.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Trump “receives an increased level of protection from the United States Secret Service” and that “our top priority is mitigating risk to ensure his continued security at all times.”
Leslie Osche, chairman of the Butler County commissioners, told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that officials were “confident” about safety at Saturday’s event.
Musk has endorsed Trump for another term in the White House. On Friday, the tech billionaire also retweeted a message calling Saturday’s event “HISTORIC!” mentioned.
