Former President Donald Trump returned to Butler on Saturday evening, just shy of three months since a gunman tried to assassinate him on the same grounds from which he’ll host what’s expected to be among the largest and rowdiest rallies of this election cycle.
Trump supporters and some independent observers said it was possible that up to 100,000 people could attend the rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
Trump was preceded in his speech by vice presidential candidate JD Vance, Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick and other supporters and elected officials.
Here’s what we saw in Butler.
LIVE UPDATES
7:37 p.m.
Trump hits U.S. Steel talking point
During a segment about the economy, jobs and manufacturing, Trump again addressed U.S. Steel’s impending acquisition by Nippon Steel, saying he “will not approve Japan buying U.S. Steel.”
He said U.S. Steel “was the greatest company anywhere in the world, and now we have Japan buying U.S. Steel. I don’t like that.”
He quickly pivoted to further economic policy plans, such as not taxing tips, overtime and social security and capping interest rates on credit cards.
He also said he won’t make cuts to Medicare or social security.
— Post-Gazette
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7:09 p.m.
Elon Musk urges crowd to get out the vote
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk delivered an apocalyptic get out the vote message, telling the crowd to get everyone they know to vote for Trump. “If they don’t, this will be the last election,” he said.
Saying “this is no ordinary election,” Mr. Musk, who owns the social media platform X, claimed Democrats wanted to take away the freedom of speech.
He said Trump would “preserve the constitution.”
“America is the home of the brave,” Mr. Musk told the crowd. “There’s no truer test than courage under fire.”
— Post-Gazette
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6:43 p.m.
Trump subdued, muses about partnership with his fans
More than in any speech since the Republican National Convention, his first after the assassination attempt, Trump began with a subdued tone and equated himself and his followers repeatedly, saying “we’re a team.”
Say “we have an evil world, a very sick world,” Trump suggested that love is “more powerful than the darkest malice” and is “going to save our country, heal our country, unite our country.”
“What our opponents never understood is this movement was never about me,” he said. “It’s always been about you, the people who are the heart and soul of our country.”
Trump said his opponents “slandered me, impeached me, indicted me, tried to throw me off the ballot, and — who knows — maybe tried to kill me, but I will never stop fighting for you.”
“You deserve a nation that builds things, that makes things better, that aims for the stars and once again commands respect around the world,” he said.
“We are a team, a great team – perhaps the greatest in the country,” Trump told the crowd, saying they fight together, suffer together and win together.
“Right here in Pennsylvania, we bled together,” Trump said. “Nobody’s gone through what we’ve gone through.”
“Your hopes are my hopes, your dreams are my dreams, and I am fighting for your future every single day,” Trump said. “I will never quit, never bend, never break, never yield, even at death itself.”
Someone in the audience collapsed, and Trump stopped speaking as medics attended to the person, and the audience sang the Star Spangled Banner.
— Post-Gazette
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6:16 p.m.
Trump honors fallen Buffalo Twp. firefighter Corey Comperatore
Trump thanked Pennsylvania, saying “we love Pennsylvania … and as I was saying …” and the crowd roared to hear him launch his speech as promised. On the screen behind him was the same chart of immigration numbers that was on the screen when he was shot in July.
The crowd erupted in chants of “Corey!” as Trump said: “This field is now a monument to our first responders.”
“Our beautiful Corey … he’s not with us tonight, and he should be,” said Trump, who recognized the Comperatore family in the audience. “He loved you a lot.”
Trump recalled Comperatore’s wife telling him “I’d rather have my husband.”
“He knew what was happening, and he didn’t want them hurt,” Trump said of the firefighter who was killed protecting his family.
“We all hope we’d have what Corey had — tremendous guts,” Trump said.
At 6:11 p.m. — the time the shooting began in July — Trump asked for a moment of silence.
A bell rang, and then opera singer Christopher Macchio sang “Ave Maria” live from the stage.
— Post-Gazette
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6 p.m.
Donald Trump took the stage at the Butler Farm Show grounds around 6 p.m., with Lee Greenwood singing a live version of “God Bless the U.S.A.,” the former president’s typical entrance song.
Trump immediately referenced the July shooting.
“By the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal,” Trump said of the shooter. “He did not stop our movement. He did not break our spirit.”
— Post-Gazette
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5:42 p.m.
Crane operator donates ‘flag holders’ again
Donald Trump will take the stage at the Butler Farm Show Grounds on Saturday in front of a massive American flag — a strikingly similar visual as to when the former president narrowly survived an assassination attempt here in July.
The two cranes supporting the flag on Saturday were once again provided by Mitchel Delullo, 31, a Butler County small businessman whose cranes were marooned at the fairgrounds in July during the FBI investigation into the shooting.
Mr. Delullo estimated that his business, Priority Crane Rentals, lost nearly $50,000 during the investigation. For over a week, he was unable to access his two best cranes of the four he owned at the time.
Although Mr. Delullo said that poor communication from the FBI was to blame for his lost funds, Trump and his campaign still made sure that he recovered his money.
The week after the Butler rally, Mr. Delullo said Trump’s Campaign Finance Director, Meredith O’Rourke, contacted him about his predicament. She told Mr. Delullo that Trump would cover the losses and personally review a letter that he had written for him.
Soon after, the campaign sent Mr. Delullo the lost money from a GoFundMe campaign it had created for victims of the Butler rally.
“To me, that speaks volumes,” Mr. Delullo said. “I told him if he ever needed the cranes, let me know.”
And let him know Trump did. Ms. O’Rourke reached out again on Trump’s behalf to ask Mr. Delullo if he could donate cranes for the Oct. 5 rally.
The two cranes that made the journey to Butler on Saturday aren’t quite as essential, said Mr. Delullo. While the cranes at the first rally were “specialty cranes” worth over one million dollars each, these cranes are more easily replaceable and not as large, he said. He has since unloaded one of the bigger cranes to gather funds to expand his business into rigging.
Mr. Delullo’s crew was on-site to monitor the crane, but he decided that he wouldn’t go himself out of concern that the rally could be targeted for another attack. With three small children at home, he simply didn’t want to risk it, even with increased security measures.
“I’m still a little shaken up from the last rally… I was too close to witnessing death,” he said. “As much as I’d love to be there and support Trump, I just don’t have it in me right now.”
— Adam Babetski
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5:11 p.m.
JD Vance casts Trump as martyr and savior
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, revved up the crowd with a speech that emphasized God’s hand in Trump’s survival of attempts on his life and said Trump was the only thing standing between rallygoers and those who want to take away their “God-given rights to speak your mind without censorship, violence or persecution.”
Mr. Vance criticized Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, but focused his speech on God and what many view as Trump’s miraculous survival here in July.
“I truly believe God saved President Trump’s life that day,” Mr. Vance said. “I believe God is with us right now and watches over this incredible nation every single day.”
Mr. Vance derided Democrats, the media and Ms. Harris.
“They continue to use divisive and inflammatory rhetoric,” he said. “The media continue to call Donald Trump a threat to democracy.”
The crowd booed loudly.
Mr. Vance said: “I say to Kamala Harris: Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy. What the hell have you done?”
The crowd erupted in cheers, which morphed into a chant of “U.S.A.!”
“With all the hatred they’ve spewed at Trump, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to kill him,” Mr. Vance said.
He concluded his speech by saying “God still has a plan for him, just as he still has a plan for the United States of America.”
— Post-Gazette
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5:03 p.m.
Harris in North Carolina visiting hurricane victims
Vice President Kamala Harris was in North Carolina on Saturday, visiting one of the states hard hit by Hurricane Helene, meeting with families affected by the storm, thanking first responders and getting an update on recovery efforts.
“I think that these moments of crisis bring out some of the best of who we could be and who we are,” she said.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called the administration's efforts a “massive unprecedented response," singling out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to White House pool reports.
“FEMA has been on the ground with us from the very beginning of this," Mr. Cooper said.
FEMA has provided more than $26 million in housing and other types of assistance to over 25,000 households in North Carolina, and has more than 700 FEMA staff on the ground.
— Jonathan D. Salant
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4:59 p.m.
An ‘army’ of Republican voters
West Point graduate, veteran of the Army 82nd Airborne Ranger division and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate David McCormick brought a military tone to the need for Republicans to vote.
In urging people to vote, the former hedge fund CEO told rallygoers: “We need an army of people going out to save our country.”
“This is the most important election of our lifetimes,” he told the crowd. “Every one of us and our children need to act like our lives depend on it.”
— Post-Gazette
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4:26 p.m.
Trump trucks make an appearance
Along with the flags, hats, and other merchandise that are commonplace at Trump rallies, another favorite draw is the vehicles.
Many have the usual Trump Vance flags, but others are more elaborate. Earlier in the day, there had been multiple monster trucks with various Trump designs, and one of them remained as of Saturday afternoon.
The bus for Dave McCormick, signed by thousands of attendees at various rallies this election cycle, also made another appearance.
One old Chevy truck had a two-sided painted sign atop, praising first responders and calling on people to vote Trump-Vance to “protect America.”
— Steve Bohnel
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4:09 p.m.
Elon Musk says he will speak
Among the “special guests” the Trump campaign said would be at the Butler rally was billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Mr. Musk posted to his social media platform X Saturday afternoon: “Headed to Pennsylvania to speak at the@realDonaldTrump rally in Butler!”
Headed to Pennsylvania to speak at the @realDonaldTrump rally in Butler!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 5, 2024
Other expected special guests include singer Lee Greenwood, a host of Republican elected officials and party figures, and a number of people who survived the shooting in July including the family of Corey Comperatore, who was killed that day, and David Dutch, who was wounded.
— Post-Gazette
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4:03 p.m
Snipers and other security evident
Around the farm show grounds, visible snipers were posted on the rooftops of nearby buildings throughout the event space.
Speakers have also been addressing the crowd from behind bullet proof glass. Multiple drones can be seen hovering around the grounds.
To enter into the grounds, attendees had to pass through metal detectors and any bags or purses were hand searched by security guards. In the parking lots, security patrolled with bomb sniffing dogs.
— Hallie Lauer
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3:50 p.m.
Trump Force One flyover
Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 plane did two flyovers of the crowd at the Butler Farm Show Grounds shortly before 3:30 p.m.
The candidate was expected to arrive at the grounds before 4 p.m. and meet with guests and do interviews backstage before taking the stage at 5 p.m.
— Post-Gazette
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3:24 p.m.
Traveling from rally to rally, finding a niche
A central part of Trump rallies is vendors selling Trump merchandise. There were tents set up along Evans City Road as well as at the Butler Farm Show grounds, both outside and inside the gates.
Many were operating out of hand-pulled carts. Some, including most along the road outside the grounds, were in stationary trailers or tents, selling everything from shirts to hats to Trump rubber duckies.
Chloe Wiley, of Grove City, has been selling Trump merchandise for about three months. Before that, she was a bartender and server: "I miss my regulars," she said of her past job.
Her best-selling item, she said, is a shirt saying: "I was there. FIGHT" recognizing the Butler rally in July where Trump was nearly killed. The design was created by Chris Ithen of Ithen Global.
Other vendors had made a longer trek.
Cody Shirk and Paul Tamalavic are from the Springfield, Mo., area. Mr. Shirk said he had driven roughly nine hours to be here Saturday. Mr. Shirk said there could be an advantage to being mobile; he said he had done hundreds of dollars in business in the morning hours, standing near where people were filing into the fairgrounds.
Mr. Tamalavic, who was in a trailer on Evans City Road near Down Range Supply, said he's done dozens of rallies. The most difficult part is the travel, he said, as they go from state to state. Usually the busiest sales period is the "blow off" after rallies when people leave the arena/venue and buy something to remember the event.
Kim Hughes, who was running a stand not far from Mr. Tamalavic, agreed.
Ms. Hughes, from Santee, South Carolina, said she and her husband Frank have done rallies for many years. She started in 2020, him in 2016.
One of the tricky aspects is how much the industry has grown — from roughly a few dozen to more than 200 roaming around the country today, she said.
"It's finding a niche product, and over time it's been many different things," Ms. Hughes said. "You need to stay ahead of the curve, which my husband is very good at."
— Steve Bohnel
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2:58 p.m.
A sea of people
Thousands filed through the main entrance as they made their way to the rally grounds.
On their right, a giant American flag suspended from a fire truck ladder swayed in the wind. On their left, a much smaller statue of Trump — bloody ear and all — stood atop a military vehicle with its fist raised in the air.
A woman went up and down the line trying to register new voters, finding little success.
“Are you registered to vote? Don’t look away from me, answer the question,” she demanded of one man while pointing her finger. “Are you over 18?” she asked another.
“I’m 30,” he replied dryly.
Vincent Fusca, of Churchill, believed by some adherents of QAnon to be John F. Kennedy Jr., stopped several times to take pictures with fans.
Security measures were prominent, with camo-clad snipers watched closely from a nearby roof. An out-of-breath guard responsible for enforcing the fence and keeping the line in order chased down several attendees who had slipped through a gap, yelling “HEY!”
By 2 p.m. the field cordoned off for the rally was nearly full, crammed full of fans all the way back.
Outside the line of people hoping still to get in stretched into the distance.
And still more came.
Inside, people crowded together under a cloudless sky; some sat on the ground, but most stood.
Most conversed with their neighbors. Some took photos, some danced, some discussed what was different from July.
— Adam Babetski
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2:41 p.m.
Volunteers making sure people stay hydrated
Several recent Trump rallies — including the one here in July — took place in scorching summer temperatures, leading to attendees collapsing from sunstroke.
To counteract that, the Trump campaign set up a substantial stack of free water bottles outside the rally entrance.
There are also stacks inside the venue, every few yards in the field where the general admission audience has gathered.
A phalanx of emergency medical technicians in fluorescent yellow vests stood at the back of the field, better prepared than they were in July, they said — more vehicles to collect anyone who collapses, more personnel.
As temperatures climbed on a sunny day, Dianne Susko, a Monroeville resident who has volunteered for Trump since 2020, went up and down the line waiting to go through security, passing out water bottles to help attendees beat the heat.
“They’re my MAGA family,” she said. “They call us deplorables, but they’re the nicest people. I’ve been here all morning and not a single one of them has let me down.”
— Adam Babetski
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2:25 p.m.
Original artwork features ‘fighting’ Trump and Jesus Christ
One of the additions to the standard merchandise tents at this rally is artwork. Multiple tents feature people selling paintings — many with Trump with his fist raised after the attempted assassination in July, but many others casting Trump in some religious context.
There were paintings of Trump kneeling in prayer and walking with Jesus Christ.
There were paintings of Christ crucified and of Corey Comperatore, the man killed during the assassination attempt in July.
The attempted assassination super-charged the religious element in the Trump campaign, and the return to Butler has taken on the aspect of a pilgrimage for many. Thousands were in line waiting at 8 a.m., and according to people who attended the rally in July, the venue is filling earlier and faster than it did then.
Most attendees were wearing Trump-themed shirts of some sort, many featured the photo of Trump with his fist raised, but others sported more overtly religious themes, including shirts that read “Jesus is my savior; Trump is my president.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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2:02 p.m.
Butler traffic jam
On a typical Saturday morning, Evans City Road would have vehicles, but nothing like today.
Saturday was a much different story.
A long line of cars stretched a half mile or more.
People hung Trump flags and other political signage on their vehicles as they idled, hoping to find a place to park.
Those who parked further away were using a closed lane on the shoulder to walk toward the farm show grounds, bypassing the many cars stuck in traffic.
— Steve Bohnel
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1:46 p.m.
‘The safest, most secure place in America,’ Rep. Mike Kelly says
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents Butler and is co-chairing the task force investigation into the July assassination attempt, said security at Saturday’s event was “night and day” compared to what it was in July.
“We weren’t as prepared as we should have been on July 13,” he told the Post-Gazette Saturday afternoon. “Today, this is the safest, most secure place in America.”
A drone could be seen hovering over the crowd and there were frequent flyovers from a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter.
“Everyone here should feel safe and secure,” Mr. Kelly said.
Attendees had to pass through metal detectors to enter into the farm show grounds and any purses or bags were searched by security personnel.
— Hallie Lauer
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1:21 p.m.
Local Trump fans ‘wouldn’t miss it’
Many who traveled to Butler on Saturday were making a shorter journey than those who had traveled from across the country.
Sue and Jeff Rapp of Center Township had attended the rally in July and were among the first hundred people in line on Saturday. Sue, 73, is retired and said missing the rally wasn't an option, despite what happened here months ago.
"It doesn't scare me, and I wouldn't miss this for the world," she said.
"He's fighting for us," her husband, who works at a local bicycle shop, quickly added.
Scott Vandervort, 46, of Sandy Lake had also attended July's rally. He was one of the first 50 people in line outside the farm show grounds perimeter on Saturday morning.
"I knew there was going to be a lot of people here ... last time, there was maybe 13,000, 14,000 people. This time, it is massive," Mr. Vandervort said.
People from throughout the region were saying they had heard people had come from many states to be in Butler County Saturday.
One of them was Zach Anderson, 37, a disabled Army veteran who served in Iraq from 2007 to 2009. Mr. Anderson said Saturday was his second Trump rally, after attending a recent one in Indiana weeks ago.
Despite people coming in from all over, he didn't see it necessarily as a pilgrimage.
"I would say people are just fed up after three and a half years," he said. "The silent majority is no longer silent."
Doug Eonta, 66, of Ellwood City stood in a line specially reserved for attendees under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Eonta, a retired manufacturing worker, is on a fixed income and said he’s worried about how Kamala Harris would handle the economy.
Mr. Eonta said he has supported Trump’s presidential ambitions since at least 2012 and made the journey to Butler for his first-ever rally. He couldn’t make Trump’s July rally due to a family reunion and respected that he made good on his promise to return.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t come within 100 miles of this place,” he said. “He says something, and he means it. He’s got balls of steel.”
Mr. Eonta was excited by the sheer number of Trump supporters — a number that was projected to reach 60,000 or possibly higher.
Kimberly Lloyd, 44, and her husband, Richard, 51, both from Westmoreland County, were visible in bright red shirts they bought to commemorate Trump’s last Butler rally, with “I was there” in large letters on the back.
Mr. Lloyd, a steel mill union member, and Ms. Lloyd, a social worker, were in some of the first people in line at the rally in July and said they were standing just a few rows from Trump when the shots rang out.
“When the gunshots fired, I dropped. I knew right away,” said Ms. Lloyd.
Although they arrived early in the morning once again, they could tell that they were much further back in line, a fact they chalked up to an outpouring of support for a “resilient” Trump.
“I wouldn’t miss this rally for the world,” said Ms. Lloyd.
— Steve Bohnel
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12:57 p.m.
July rally attendees return
Trump supporters who were at the July 13 rally expressed the emotion of returning to the site of the attempted assassination.
“I still can’t believe it happened. I’m still in shock,” said Mike Boatman, from Evansville, Ind., who sat in the front row on July 13 and has attended more than 100 rallies for the former president. “I’m glad Trump’s come back here. Maybe it will do a lot of healing.”
Mr. Boatman said this rally felt “different” than the many others he’s been at. The line extended as far as the eye could see more than two hours before gates opened. He also noticed much more security than in July.
Shana DiTosto, from Sharon, attended the July 13 rally and said she was initially not planning to return Saturday because she was scared.
“But if (Trump’s) fighting for us, then we’re going to continue to fight for him,” Ms. DiTosto said. “This is a monumental day…I love this man, and there was no way I wasn’t going to come.”
— King Jemison
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12:37 p.m.
Lone protester: ‘He has thoroughly deceived these people’
As supporters drove into the Butler rally grounds on Saturday, they filtered past a one-man protest against Trump.
George Zadigian, 68, a regular editorial contributor to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, held up a large white sign reading “Fellow Republicans — defend America. Reject all MAGA candidates.”
Mr. Zadigian said that he didn’t hold the sign for long, as “very angry” state police officers threatened to arrest him, he said, unless he stowed it in his car. He relocated to a fence near the rally entrance, where he engaged with passersby one-on-one.
“I want to plant a seed of thought that Trump is not acting in their best interests,” he said. “He’s not pro-life, not a conservative, not good for the economy. How can you be pro-life and be for taking healthcare away from people?”
Mr. Zadigian traveled to Butler from his home in Alliance, Ohio, over 80 miles away. Since Ohio figures to be solidly Republican this election, he’s hoping to convince at least a few Trump supporters in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania that they’re supporting a “coward.”
“If he were courageous, he’d have been drafted into the military instead of letting his father buy his way out,” he said. “He has thoroughly deceived these people.”
— Adam Babetski
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12:21 p.m.
Memorial for Corey Comperatore, who was killed at July rally
As Trump fans began to pass through the main security check and stream into the Butler Farm Show grounds shortly after 10 a.m., those who looked past the media riser and the VIP seating into the bleachers behind the stage saw a stark sight.
Corey Comperatore’s seat in the upper left corner of the back bleacher is reserved with a memorial featuring his firefighter’s jacket and gear surrounded by flowers.
Comperatore was killed on that spot when a would-be assassin opened fire on Donald Trump here in July.
Trump is expected to honor Comperatore during his speech this afternoon; Comperatore’s wife and daughters are listed as special guests, as are other members of the Comperatore Family. David Dutch, who was wounded in the shooting, is also on the special guest list.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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12:01 p.m.
They traveled from as far as California to honor ‘a God moment’
For Irma Polanco, the trip to Butler County was likely longer than most.
That’s because Ms. Polanco, 60, traveled from Fresno, Calif., to see the former president on Saturday. She was near the front of the line before 8 a.m. And she wasn't surprised that people were coming from all over.
"They are coming from everywhere because we do believe in justice," said Ms. Polanco, who owns her own apparel company. "I will follow him wherever he has his rallies."
Renee White, 57, also made a long journey from Newland, North Carolina. Ms. White was seated in the bleachers behind Mr. Trump on July 13, and had the photo of TV footage with her saved on her phone.
She has attended more than 40 Trump rallies, she said, but the one in July was different, she said.
"What happened in July is and was a God moment," said Ms. White, who is disabled and worked in multiple industries before retiring. "For me to be here for my community is important."
Two of her friends, Andrea and Olivia Noyes, agreed. The two are 44-year-old twins and live in Naples, Fla., and Afton, N.Y.
"I would travel from the other end of the world to be here ... my body buzzes for days afterward," Andrea said.
— Steve Bohnel
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11:25 a.m.
Rallygoers as far as the eye can see
It was still shy of 8 a.m. on Saturday morning when a line of thousands of people stretched through a field outside the Butler Farm grounds into the distance, as far as the eye could see.
The roads leading to the site were busy early on Saturday: Trump apparel and souvenir tents lined Evans City Road, the main drag that runs next to the complex. Many nearby parking lots were ready: $20 a car was the going rate.
People were in a boisterous, friendly mood as they waited in line. At first, they were kept outside a perimeter. Just before 8 a.m., security opened the gate, and people eagerly raced into the cattle grates that form the line leading up to the main security check-in.
Many wore flags and Trump-themed apparel. Others had more elaborate costumes, either decked out in full American garb or sporting Trump wigs.
Security was also noticeably ramped up compared to the July rally, many in line said.
Secret Service agents and other local law enforcement were keeping a watchful eye on those in line, as people from around the country shared stories and broke out in the occasional "USA!" chant.
— Steve Bohnel
First Published: October 5, 2024, 4:03 p.m.
Updated: October 5, 2024, 11:39 p.m.