BUTLER, Pennsylvania. On the streets of Butler, Pennsylvania, after Saturday assassination attempt about former President Donald Trump, the same four words were said over and over again: “From everywhere.”
Butler, home to about 13,000 people, and the county whose grand courthouse graces its square were named for a Revolutionary War general. American flags fly along its main street alongside black-and-white photos of local heroes who died in other wars fought in the name of democracy. The first jeep was produced here in 1940 at the request of the US Army.
It’s rural. He’s a neighbor. And it’s Trump’s country.
“Of all places to go after him and try something. Are we, like, in Butler County?” said Cindy Michael, a 44-year-old healthcare worker. “Everyone is shocked. Very shocked.”
Trump is not the first person serving as president who has been the target of a shooting in the area. Long before he became the nation’s first president, George Washington “narrowly escaped death” when a Native American shot him less than 15 steps away. A state historic marker marks the site on a trail about 14 miles southwest of Butler.
This county in the far west of a presidential swing state is a Trump stronghold. He won Butler County — where turnout hovers around an impressive 80% — with about 66% of the vote in 2016 and 2020. About 57% of Butler County’s 139,000 registered voters are Republican, compared with about 29% who are Democrats and 14% something else.
Between 2016 and 2020, Trump won nearly 10,000 more votes in Butler County, but that wasn’t enough for him to win Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden’s gains in the state’s cities and suburbs — and he secured 9,000 more votes in Butler County than Hillary Clinton did in 2016 — helped him oust Trump from the White House.
Still, Butler County’s support for Trump runs deep. Local attorney Patrick Casey said that may have been part of the problem.
“A friend said to me this morning, ‘I think everyone assumed that Donald Trump would be safe in Butler County,’ and I responded to that friend by reminding him that when Pope John Paul II was shot in an assassination attempt, it occurred in Vatican City,” Casey said. “Who would have thought there could be a safer place than that?”
In fact, the atmosphere was relaxed and neighborly at the Butler County Fairgrounds on the day of the rally. Couples held hands, parents corralled their children, a woman accompanied her 75-year-old mother for a birthday present. That was until I was 20 Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots, including one that Trump says hit his ear. A Secret Service sniper returned fire and killed Crooks. A spectator was shot and killedand two more were injured.
It remains to be seen whether Butler will be able to come close to a return to normal.
“We are deeply saddened by what happened here in our hometown,” Brenckle’s Farm and Greenhouse, located just outside the fairgrounds where the shooting occurred, said in a Facebook post Monday. “Butler is a peaceful community and everyone who lives here shares similar qualities. The community is kind, generous and would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it.”
Although what happened that day weighs heavily on residents’ hearts, it did not appear to influence their votes. Some Trump supporters said the assassination attempt strengthened their resolve to vote for him, while others said it had no impact on his political feelings.
Victoria Rhodes, 25, a nurse who moved to Butler from Nashville, Tenn., four months ago, said she is still deciding how she will vote in November. She said what happened in her new hometown is not a factor.
“This will be the first time I will vote in a presidential election,” she said. “I guess I’m still trying to decide, because the political landscape right now is kind of crazy.” Although she is hopeful that the assassination attempt lower the temperature In america political talk, She said her experience has been that friends her age can talk about their political differences without anger.
Jamie Brackley, who runs the motorcycle shop in downtown Butler, called himself a “nobody” when declaring a political party. As for whether the attempt on Trump’s life will affect his politics, he said: “No. I’m already a conspiracy theorist, so this doesn’t affect me one way or another.”
Democrat Laneice Olesnevich, 66, has lived her entire life in Butler. She called it “a good Christian town.”
Olesnevich said he remains undecided about his choice for president, but that the assassination attempt would not affect his decision. Instead, she was waiting for more information about Trump’s running mate – he selected U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio later on Monday – and on Biden’s health.
“I feel bad for that young man’s parents, because you know their life has now become hell, and I don’t think (what he did) will make any difference to my decision,” she said.
She added: “I pray daily for this country because we definitely need something to change everyone’s anger.”
In a place where people know each other, it is common to consider the impact of such a cataclysmic event on individual people, especially those who have a direct connection to what happened. It’s yet another reason why the shock will last for years.
“The world is a crazy place,” said Jodie Snider of nearby Clarion, a retired police officer, Army officer and sniper, who was visiting the Butler County Courthouse on Monday. “Of all places, Butler.”
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Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Associated Press data journalist Kavish Harjai contributed from Los Angeles.
