(The Center Square) – On Saturday, former President Donald Trump will return to the same rally stage in Pennsylvania where he stood when a would-be assassin opened fire in July, nearly taking his life.
Trump confirmed the visit to Butler on X, alongside the now-iconic image of him raising his fist into the air, blood smeared across his face as the American flag drapes in the background.
The moment, recognized as a historic turning point in an unpredictable campaign cycle on all sides, was only the first attempt on Trump’s life. A second man, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, sits in jail after opening fire at the former president as he golfed in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was the Butler gunman and killed by security. Corey Comperatore, in the audience behind Trump, was killed by Crooks’ shots.
Security measures for Saturday, however, are already ratcheting up, according to multiple media reports. In an interview with NBC News, a woman who sells merchandise at the rally said the security perimeter surrounding the venue is already “locked down.”
That perimeter has been the source of much scrutiny from a congressional task force investigating the July 13 shooting that killed the 50-year-old Comperatore and severely wounded 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaven.
During a Sept. 26 hearing in Washington, lawmakers balked at the U.S. Secret Service’s decision to leave the AGR building, located roughly 400 feet from the rally stage, outside of its purview – even after local law enforcement warned them of the danger.
Drew Blasko, a patrolman with the Butler Township Police Department who served as assistant team leader of one of two local sniper units on duty that day, said he asked for more guards to protect the area.
Despite an assurance to the contrary, the request was unfulfilled – a point that was illustrated when Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., showed a state trooper’s dashboard camera footage that caught the shooter, Crooks, scaling the roof of the building. In just three minutes he opened fire.
The request for more outdoor guards wasn’t the only resource discussed that never showed up on the day of the rally. Adams Township Police Sgt. Edward Lenz, who commanded the Butler County Emergency Services Unit that day, and Pennsylvania State Police Lt. John Herold said sniper fencing was intended to cover a chain-link fence separating the AGR complex from the farm show grounds. Additional barriers, including a large projector screen, were not set up either.
During congressional questioning, the lawmen agreed that eight to 10 more officers stationed outside the building would have likely prevented Crooks from getting into position. Foot traffic around the complex could have been restricted – upward of 200 people who had not gone through security screening were reportedly watching the rally from the parking lot – and approximately 5 acres of the building’s land could have been sectioned off from the public. A sniper on the nearby water tower, cameras on the building’s roof and blocked-off parking would have been other options, the officers added.
