John Jefferson
Donald Trump will return to the town where he was shot exactly one month before Election Day, according to reports.
The former president will hold another rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – where he was grazed by a would-be assassin’s bullet in July – on October 5.
The news was reported by NBC, who cited an anonymous campaign official briefed on the plan, which is yet to be publicly announced. Trump has long teased a return to Butler.
On July 13, Trump was rushed to the floor after 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle. One of the bullets struck Trump on the ear, and another killed a supporter, Corey Comperatore, who was attending the rally.
In the aftermath, an investigation was launched into the perceived failings by the Secret Service and the agency’s director Kimberly Cheatle subsequently resigned.
The Trump campaign was subsequently advised not to hold rallies outdoors, and the former president appeared at his next event behind bullet-proof glass.
It is not clear what security arrangements will be in place should a second rally in Butler go ahead next month. The date is being viewed as significant, falling exactly one month before the Election Day on November 5.
The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign to confirm the date of the reported return to Butler.
It comes as investigations continue into the second attempt on the former president’s life in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15.
On Monday it was revealed that Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, had sketched out his plan for an assassination in a handwritten note that offered a six-figure payout to anyone who could finish off Trump, should he fail.
Routh is facing two weapons-related charges in the alleged plot on Trump’s life. He appeared in West Palm Beach federal court on Monday for a hearing which ended with US Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe ordering the 58-year-old Hawaii resident to be held without bail.
Prosecutors had argued that Routh, who previously lived in North Carolina, had no ties to South Florida and had traveled there solely to kill Trump.
They said they would present evidence at a later date for a grand jury to consider upgraded charges.
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