More than two and a half months after the assassination attempt on his life, former President Donald Trump will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, this evening to finish a campaign rally that was cut short by the July 13 attack.
The Republican nominee—last seen on the same stage being escorted by Secret Service agents, blood dripping from his right ear—will be joined by a host of special guests and a projected large crowd.
Trump’s campaign called his return to the site a “tribute to the American spirit,” writing in a press release that “In America, we do not let monsters like that evil assassin have the last word. Every time our nation is struck by attack or hardship, we rally, we persevere, and we prevail.”
Here’s what we know about the second Butler, Pennsylvania rally today:
When and Where to Watch
The rally will be held at the Butler Farm Show—the same venue where, on July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight rounds, injuring Trump’s ear, wounding two attendees, and killing one person, Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief.
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The venue’s doors will open at 10 a.m. ET and the rally will begin at 5 p.m. ET.
The rally will be live-streamed on C-SPAN.
Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are locked in a tight race for Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes. Aggregate polls from FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times show a near-deadlocked race in the state, with Harris leading by 0.6 percent and 1 percent, respectively.
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty
Who Will Be There
Trump’s campaign has announced a lengthy list of prominent attendees, including the wife and daughters of Comperatore, Helen, Allyson, Kaylee, and his sisters Kelly Meeder and Dawn Comperatore-Schaffer. Helen Comperatore told the New York Post that Corey had shouted for people to “get down” after the shots were fired and used his body to shield his family from bullets.
Trump said he would honor Corey Comperatore’s memory, recognize the injured attendees, and thank law enforcement during his second Butler visit.
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The former president’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, his son, Eric Trump, and his wife, Lara Trump, who is the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, will also be in attendance.
Late Thursday, tech billionaire Elon Musk replied to Trump’s social media post about his Butler, Pennsylvania rally, writing, “I will be there to support!” The Trump campaign later released the guest list with Musk’s name on it.
Elon Musk’s Growing Support of Trump
Within half an hour of the assassination attempt on Trump’s life—which was live-streamed—Elon Musk posted an endorsement of Trump on his social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk wrote at 6:45 p.m. ET on July 13, along with a video of Trump fist-pumping on stage while surrounded by Secret Service agents and bleeding from his ear.
Former President Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face and surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Former President Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face and surrounded by Secret Service agents at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. REBECCA DROKE/AFP via Getty Images
Musk’s attendance at the second Butler, Pennsylvania, rally comes amid an increase in his political commentary and criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, and the current administration. In a series of recent posts on X, Musk voiced concerns about government policies on a wide range of issues and their impact on the country’s future.
On Wednesday, Musk posted, “Trump/Vance MUST win. I can’t handle 4 years of seeing and hearing Kamala/Walz. That would be cruel and unusual punishment!” In response to a comment on his post, he added, “The survival of the Constitution is indeed at risk.”
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On October 3, he took aim at Harris’ political record, writing on X, “Kamala’s voting track record when she was in the Senate was to the left of Bernie Sanders! She was rated most far left of all 100 senators. Not a moderate at all.”
Other posts revolved around voter registration, writing that Democrats “are literally using YOUR tax dollars to import voters and disenfranchise you!” writing in another post that “Citizens of Arizona, this election is your last chance before you’re disenfranchised.”
On Friday, he called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying “weak government leadership costs lives” in reference to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Helene and its limited funds. In another post about disaster relief, he wrote, “The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!!”
He also posted, “Unless Trump wins and we get rid of the mountain of smothering regulations (that have nothing to do with safety!), humanity will never reach Mars. This is existential.”
Security Protocol
The Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny since the July 13 assassination attempt. Last week, a bipartisan Senate report found five key failures on the agency’s part:
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Failed to clearly define responsibilities for planning and security at the July 13 rally.
Failed to ensure the AGR Building from which Crooks shot was effectively covered.
Failed to effectively coordinate with state and local law enforcement.
Failed to provide resources for the July 13 rally that could have enhanced security.
Failed to communicate information about the suspicious person to key personnel and to take action to ensure the safety of former President Trump.
U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a Friday statement to Newsweek, “Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations.”
He reiterated, “Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”
The statement continued: “Regarding the October 5 event in Butler, we are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township.” Typically, the Secret Service coordinates with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies at campaign events.
“We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology. To maintain the integrity of our protective operations, we cannot go into specifics regarding the security enhancements,” he said.
The statement advised locals to prepare for traffic disruptions.
“Residents in the area should expect traffic delays and an increased presence of state, local, and federal law enforcement as part of our efforts. Specific road closure information will be released by the Pennsylvania State Police,” it said.
Your investigation of these allegations is consistent with the IG’s mission to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in federal agencies, and can help determine if politically connected crypto interests are undermining our national security. As Congress considers legislation on the market structure for digital assets, we must ensure that cryptocurrencies like USD1 are not providing the President and senior officials with the ability to line their pockets at the expense of the public interest.
The following facts have been reported in multiple outlets regarding Mr. Witkoff:
• Mr. Witkoff’s son Zach Witkoff is the CEO of World Liberty Financial (WLF), which the President’s family owns a majority stake in.³
• Beginning in January, one of Sheikh Tahnoon’s employees, Fiacc Larkin, joined WLF as the “chief strategic advisor” while continuing to work at G42, an AI investment firm owned by Sheikh Tahnoon that, according to the U.S. intelligence community, works closely with Chinese military companies.4
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On May 1, 2025, Zach Witkoff announced that MGX, a state-owned investment firm controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon, had agreed to use a WLF-issued stablecoin, USD1, to make a $2 billion investment in Binance. As a result of this deal, WLF stands to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in transaction fees from MGX, and more from the returns on any investments it makes with the $2 billion deposit.³
As of August, Mr. Witkoff maintained a financial interest in WLF and thus stands to personally benefit from his son’s business dealings with the UAE.6 Nevertheless, he did not recuse himself from deliberations regarding the UAE, which may violate federal ethics law.
The following facts have been reported about Mr. Sacks:
●
•
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He is a special government employee who continues to serve as a “general partner” at his venture capital fund, Craft Ventures.
8
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, an Emirati sovereign wealth fund controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon, was an early investor in Craft Ventures and continues to hold an investment in the fund.
In addition, Craft Ventures is invested in BitGo, which has partnered with WLF to provide the technical infrastructure for USD1. If BitGo’s valuation grows, based on the UAE’s investment into USD1, Mr. Sacks and his firm stand to benefit.
3 Yahoo Finance, “Trump family reportedly has a 60% stake in the World Liberty Financial,” Anand Sinha, March 31, 2025,
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-family-reportedly-60-stake-172742661.html.
4 New York Times, “Inside U.S. Efforts to Untangle an A.I. Giant’s Ties to China,” Mark Mazzetti and Edward
Wong, Nov. 27, 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/11/27/us/politics/ai-us-uae-china-security-g42.html.
5 New York Times, “At a Dubai Conference, Trump’s Conflicts Take Center Stage,” David Yaffe-Bellany, May 1, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/us/politics/trump-cryptocurrency-usd1-dubai-conference-
announcement.html.
6U.S Office of Government Ethics, Form 278e for Steven C. Witkoff, August 13, 2025, p. 23, https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/090d0de07e1d2fdf/bbf02867-full.pdf.
18 U.S.C. § 208.
8 White House, “Limited Waiver Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(1) Regarding A.I. Assets,” June 2025,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/David-Sacks.pdf.
Nigel Farage has refused to criticise Donald Trump’s claims that paracetamol, sold in the US as Tylenol, could cause autism, insisting “science is never settled” and he would never “side with” medical experts.
The Reform UK leader said he had “no idea” if the US president was right to tell pregnant women to avoid taking acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol and paracetamol, and suggesting that those who could not “tough it out” should limit their intake.
Scientists and global health agencies including the World Health Organization have strongly dismissed Trump’s false claims, calling them misguided and saying the evidence linking paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism was “inconsistent”.
The UK’s health secretary, Wes Streeting, told the British public they should not “pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine”, adding: “I trust doctors over President Trump frankly, on this.”
But in a wide-ranging interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Farage was asked directly if Trump was right to share those unproven claims. He said: “I have no idea, I’ve no idea. You know we were told thalidomide was a very safe drug and it wasn’t. Who knows Nick, I don’t know.
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“He [Trump] has a particular thing about autism. I think because there’s been some in his family, he feels it very personally. I’ve no idea.”
When Farage was asked if he would side with medical experts who say it is dangerous to make the link, he added: “I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. When it comes to science, I don’t side with anybody, right? You know? I don’t side with anybody, because science is never settled. We should remember that.”
Yet when challenged over whether it was irresponsible for Trump to make such an unproven claim, Farage said: “That’s an opinion he’s [Trump’s] got. It’s not one that I necessarily share.”
Farage’s refusal to condemn Trump’s claims comes weeks after a controversial doctor, Aseem Malhotra, was given top billing at Reform UK’s party conference and used his main-stage speech to claim the Covid vaccine caused cancer in the royal family. Malhotra is an adviser to Trump’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy.
In the same interview, Farage said Trump was “right to say” that sharia law “is an issue in London”.
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“Never take what he [Trump] says literally, ever on anything. But always take everything he says seriously,” Farage said, adding: Trump “has a point.”
“So is he right to say that sharia is an issue in London? Yes. Is it an overwhelming issue at this stage? No. Has the mayor of London directly linked himself to it? No.”
Labour MPs have urged Keir Starmer to reprimand Trump’s administration after the US president falsely claimed in a speech to the United Nations: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed.
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“Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
Trump has been publicly attacking the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, since 2015 when the Labour politician criticised Trump, the then presidential candidate, for suggesting that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US.
A spokesperson for Khan said: “We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response. London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities and we’re delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here.”
During the LBC phone-in, Farage also said Reform’s plan to ban anyone who was not a UK citizen from claiming benefits would not apply to Ukrainians and Hongkongers.
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“No, because they come for different reasons,” Farage said, adding those who had lived in the UK on indefinite leave to remain and had not worked or paid into the system would be told their benefits would be cut.
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Alphabet’s market capitalisation surged above $3tn for the first time on Monday on the back of a sharp rally for the search giant’s shares over the past few weeks.
Shares in Google’s parent company have climbed more than 30 per cent to a record high of $252 since the group posted double-digit growth in revenue and profit in quarterly results out in late July.
The rally means Alphabet joins Nvidia, Microsoft and Apple as the only US companies valued above $3tn. Chipmaker Nvidia in July became the first company to hit a $4tn market value.
