Former President Donald Trump says he will return to Butler for rally honoring shooting victims

BUTLER, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon that he plans to return to Butler.

Trump’s next rally will honor Corey Comperatore, who was killed when a gunman tried to assassinate the former president and the two other men who were wounded.

>> Former President Trump announces date for 1st Pennsylvania rally since Butler assassination attempt

“I will be going back to Butler, Pennsylvania for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero Corey and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago. What a day it will be-- fight, fight, fight!” a Truth Social post reads.

A date for his next rally in Butler has not yet been set.

Employees of King Cones Castle, located right across the street from the building used by the shooter, told Channel 11 it might be too early for a return.

“I think it’s just a little too soon. I think there’s been a lot of grayness since it happened. There’s been this kind of energy about the town. People are uneasy. There are still people shocked by it,” manager Eric Manny said.

>> Butler Trump rally attendees describe panic as shots rang out during attempted Trump assassination

“I feel like we just need to take time and soak this all in and get the support ready when the time is ready,” Tyler Tappe said. He was working his shift at King Cones when the shooting happened two weeks ago. “Every day that I get up I think about it. It was traumatizing for everyone.”

Both Tappe and Manny say the former president has the right idea in wanting to come back.

Others say there is no time like the present, with some changes.

“There’s no better time than now, I think. It just needs to be indoors. Lots of security,” Lisa Wilbert of Butler Township said.

Channel 11 has reached out to several officials locally and throughout the region. Many were caught off-guard by the announcement.

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