Former president Donald Trump took a moment of silence at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday to honor a retired fire chief who died at a rally in the same venue 12 weeks prior.
Corey Comperatore attended Trump’s Butler rally on July 13 and died shielding his family as an assassin located on a nearby rooftop attempted to kill the former president. Trump returned to Butler on Saturday to complete the rally that ended in tragedy 12 weeks before.
At 6:11 p.m. on Saturday, exactly 12 weeks from the assassin’s first shots, Trump held a moment of silence for Comperatore, who’s uniform covered an empty seat at the rally in his honor. The touching moment featured a performance of “Ave Maria” to honor Comperatore, who attended services at Cabot Methodist Church in Cabot, Pennsylvania.
Trump went on to describe Comperatore’s legacy as “immortal.”
Comperatore was “a protector who put his life on the line for others and he loved doing it, and when the sound of gunshots pierced the air on that July evening, Corey leapt into the fire one more time. In his last seconds on this earth, he threw himself on the top of his wife and daughters. He didn’t want them hurt,” Trump said. “Every father and husband in America hopes that, if the time came, we would have what Corey had: tremendous courage, tremendous guts.”
At 6:11 pm tonight, 12 weeks from the exact moment that the assassin shot Corey Comperatore in Butler, Trump pauses and the entire rally falls silent in honor of Corey’s sacrifice.
Trump describes Corey’s legacy as “immortal.”pic.twitter.com/3T013mRXQU
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 5, 2024
Fifty-year-old Comperatore died on July 13 after an assassin, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire at Trump from a nearby rooftop. Comperatore was fatally struck while shielding his family. Several other rally attendees were wounded.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro honored Comperatore’s sacrifice a day after the tragedy, calling the retired fire chief a “hero.”
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“Corey was the very best of us, may his memory be a blessing,” Shapiro said.
During the July assassination attempt, Trump was struck in the ear and rushed off the stage by Secret Service. Before he left, Trump stood with his fist raised and rallied the crowd, saying, “fight, fight, fight.”
Trump honored Comperatore during the keynote address at the Republican National Convention that took place days after the rally. Trump held a moment of silence for Comperatore and kissed his helmet displayed over his uniform.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for others,” Trump said.