It started as a memorial and ended as a standard rally speech.
After a shocking assassination attempt that brought the specter of political violence to an already tense White House campaign, 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump returned to the crime scene Saturday to deliver a defiant speech, declaring “I will never yield, not even in the face of death itself.”
His remarks represented yet another dramatic moment in a toss-up race that has American voters on edge, with the former president initially striking a much more compassionate and empathetic tone than his typically combative rallies.
Trump spoke at length about the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13 – and honored the victims, the U.S. Secret Service, and Butler public safety personnel – but eventually veered into full-throated negative politics.
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Noting that Election Day is now only a month away, Trump attacked migrants and pledged mass deportations, hammered the Biden administration’s hurricane response, lauded running mate JD Vance’s debate performance, protested the many investigations of his conduct, bragged about what he said are good poll numbers, and criticized what he called a “very corrupt political establishment.”
“I will never quit, I will never bend, I will never break, I will never yield – not even in the face of death itself,” Trump said.
At one point, Trump said “we have an enemy within,” but did not specifically identify it. He also told supporters that “we have an evil world – we have a very sick world.”
Trump did not mention Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris or President Joe Biden in the early part of his speech, but eventually got around to familiar rally-style riffs against “Kamala” and other Democrats.
He also told supporters that “twelve weeks ago, we all took a bullet for America,” and that a victory by him in the election would be “the greatest achievement in the history of politics.”
The rally also featured a special guest: Billionaire businessman Elon Musk, who attacked Biden over his age and said Trump’s reaction to the shooting showed “courage under fire.” Musk also predicted dire consequences if Trump supporters don’t register and vote.
“If they don’t, this will be the last election,” Musk said. “That’s my prediction.”
Trump’s speech capped a full-day program that was part memorial and part political rally, featuring Republican candidates, musicians, parachutists, and a flyover by Trump’s airplane.
“What an amazing crowd,” Trump running mate JD Vance said during his time on stage at the rally. “We’re here to say we can’t be intimidated – we cannot be stopped. We won’t be denied.”
While paying tribute to Trump and the shooting victims, Vance also attacked Harris and other Trump opponents for using “dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric” that has created an atmosphere for violence.
“It was only a matter of time before somebody tried to kill him,” Vance said.
Vance attacked Harris for describing the Republican candidate as a threat to democracy, and added: “Donald Trump took a bullet for democracy – what the hell have you done?”
Vance did not mention Trump’s own use of violent rhetoric throughout his political career.
The Trump campaign also sought to turn the Butler event into a fundraising opportunity.
During the day, the campaign sent our fundraising solicitations with a all-caps quote from Trump saying: “I’M BACK IN BUTLER TO ADDRESS THE NATION! If every PATRIOT chips in $5, we’ll set a RALLY RECORD:”
While Vance hit the Democrats for incendiary rhetoric, some of the Republican speakers in Butler supplied intemperate rhetoric of their own about the tense and close election.
“This is no longer a fight between Republican versus Democrat – left versus right – it is good versus evil,” said Lara Trump, the ex-president’s daughter-in-law and a co-chair of the Republican National Committee. “And good is going to win this battle.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump returns to Butler after shooting, declares ‘I will never yield’
