Time stood still at the site of the attack, he says

Nearly three months after an assassin’s bullet nearly took his life, former President Donald Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania – a place of “tragedy and heartache” – to assure his supporters of victory in the May 5 presidential election. Promise November.

One person – a volunteer fire chief – was killed in the July 13 shooting, which also left two bystanders seriously injured and Trump was shot in the ear.

“For 15 seconds, time stood still,” Trump told the crowd. “This malevolent monster has unleashed evil…the villain has failed to achieve his goal.”

However, there was tight security at Saturday’s rally – a result of increased Secret Service scrutiny following two assassination attempts on Trump – the month before last at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Also in attendance were Trump’s Vice President JD Vance, as well as son Eric Trump, daughter-in-law Lara Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who supported Trump after the earlier shooting.

Trump largely stuck to familiar arguments in his speech, railing against the “corrupt system,” promising to bring “respect” back to U.S. foreign policy and pledging to close the “open border,” which he said was a source of crime .

“You deserve a government that protects and respects its own citizens and defends your sovereignty, your security, your dignity and your freedom,” he told the thousands who gathered at the Butler fairgrounds to loud applause.

He also lashed out at his political opponents, accusing them of “slandering” him, trying to interfere in the election, and “who knows – maybe they even tried to kill me.”

“But I never stopped fighting for you,” he added. “I will never do that.”

Trump repeatedly referenced the previous shooting, and the event included a moment of silence for Corey Competore, the volunteer firefighter killed in the July shooting.

“He has become something of a folk hero,” Trump added. “Our beautiful Corey.”

The former president praised Elon Musk effusively and went out of his way to invite him to the stage.

The tech billionaire told the crowd that this is “the most important election of our lifetime” and urged voters to register and vote for Trump.

Between 25,000 and 30,000 people were expected at the rally, which brought traffic to a standstill throughout Saturday in the rural town north of Pittsburgh. Many waited in the bright sun for up to 10 hours before being let past a long line of vendors selling Trump-Vance campaign flags, hats, signs and orange wigs designed to imitate the former president.

“I certainly admire his willingness to come back here and give the speech that he was denied last time,” said Teresa Wilson, a former U.S. Marine who also attended the last rally on July 13.

“I would understand if he didn’t come back – I know some viewers who didn’t want to come back and some who were very worried,” she added. “If he can take the place of the previous attempt, we as his constituency can certainly come forward to offer our support.”

Only 31 days until Americans vote. Polls show Trump and Kamala Harris are in a tight race in Pennsylvania, a hotly contested battleground state that could prove decisive.

Data from the New York Times and Siena College, for example, show the two were nearly tied, 49% to 48% in favor of Harris.

In dozens of interviews with Trump supporters at the rally, most cited the economy — particularly inflation — as their main concern heading into the election.

“We are not being taken care of. People can’t afford food. They can barely afford gas [petrol]said Jessenia Anderson, a voter who wore a red T-shirt that read “Latinas for Trump” at the rally. “I have a family, but my income is always cheaper [meals]buy cheaper things.”

Others — like rapper Sean Moon, a voter from Tennessee — pointed to the U.S.-Mexico border and concerns about immigration as key reasons for their support for the former president.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, migrant crossings across the U.S. southern border reached record levels, but numbers have fallen significantly in recent months.

“This is an existential threat to this country,” Mr. Moon, the son of a North Korean refugee, said of migrants crossing the border. The event in Butler was his 15th consecutive Trump rally, he said.

“People come in without being checked. They tell untruths and are rewarded for it.