Supporters of former President Donald Trump on Friday were seen camping out in Butler, Pennsylvania, more than 24 hours before a rally for the former president, in hopes of getting closer to the action.
Rallygoers have traveled from far and wide to attend the event at the Butler Farm Show site, the same venue where a man attempted to assassinate the Republican leader on July 13.
The line to enter the venue was crowded on Saturday morning, more than ten hours before Trump was expected to speak.
Here at Trump’s return to Butler rally — already a long line at 6:45. People started coming much earlier than last time pic.twitter.com/EBQjZQ6l4X
— Brady Knox (@Brady_k6) October 5, 2024
Entrepreneur Elon Musk and vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) are listed as special guests at the Saturday event. At the top of the guest list is Helen Comperatore, widow of Corey Comperatore, who was killed by the gunman in July.
Helen Comperatore told local news outlet the Butler Eagle this week that she is “still trying to heal” after the death of her husband.
“I think it’s the trauma of it all,” she said. “I think that’s something that we all have to learn to get over.”
Much of the crowd told reporters on Friday and Saturday that they traveled a long way to be at the rally to commemorate the tragic event and support the victims, including the Comperatore family.
“It was a tragedy what happened to them,” Logan Audiss of Denver, Colorado, told WTAE. “And this being here, I think it would be a great way to honor the victims and support the families. I think that would be a very good thing.”
A Christian activist, Dan Beazley, who travels to sites of various tragedies across the U.S. carrying a 75-pound cross, was present early Saturday morning.
A lot of people going all out — Dan Beazley told me he’s carried this cross, weighing 75 pounds, to various tragedy sites throughout the US. He said he’s here to show support for the Comperatores
He’s been going up and down the line throughout the morning pic.twitter.com/WMWq2QAIgO
— Brady Knox (@Brady_k6) October 5, 2024
Beazley told the Washington Examiner that he traveled to Butler to show support for the Comperatore family.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Pennsylvania is a key swing state, and its 19 Electoral College votes are almost essential for either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris to win in November.
Trump and Harris are tied in Pennsylvania, according to RealClearPolitics’s polling average.
Brady Knox contributed to this report.