BUTLER, Pennsylvania (AP) — On the streets of Butler, Pennsylvania, the same four words were spoken over and over again following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday: “In this very place.”
Butler, home to about 13,000 people, and the district whose enormous courthouse adorns the square are named after a Revolutionary War general. American flags fly along the main street next to black-and-white photos of local heroes who died in other wars in the name of democracy. The first Jeep was manufactured here in 1940 at the request of the U.S. Army.
It’s rural. It’s neighborly. And it’s Trump country.
“Of all the places we can go and try something, it’s Butler County right now,” said Cindy Michael, a 44-year-old nurse. “Everyone is just shocked. So shocked.”
Trump is not the first president to be the victim of a shooting in this area. Long before he became the first president of the United States, George Washington “narrowly escaped death” when an Indian shot him from less than 15 paces away. A state historical marker marks the spot on a trail about 14 miles southwest of Butler.
This district on the western edge of a swing state is a Trump stronghold. He won Butler County — where turnout is an impressive 80% — with about 66% of the vote in both 2016 and 2020. About 57% of Butler County’s 139,000 registered voters are Republican, compared to about 29% Democrat 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, support for Trump is sturdy in Butler County. Local attorney Patrick Casey said that could be part of the problem.
“A friend said to me this morning, ‘I think everyone assumed Donald Trump would be safe in Butler County,’ and I responded to that friend by reminding him that the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II took place in Vatican City,” Casey said. “Who would have thought there could be a safer place than this?”
Indeed, the atmosphere on the day of the rally at the Butler County Fairgrounds was relaxed and neighborly. Couples held hands, parents rounded up their children, a woman accompanied her 75-year-old mother to a birthday gift. That was until 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots, including one that Trump said hit his ear. A Secret Service sniper returned fire, killing Crooks. One bystander was shot and two others were wounded.
It remains to be seen whether Butler can even return to anything resembling normality.
“We are deeply saddened by what happened here in our hometown,” said a Facebook post Monday from Brenckle’s Farm and Greenhouse, which is located right next to the fairgrounds where the shooting occurred. “Butler is a peaceful community and everyone who lives here shares similar characteristics. The community is friendly, generous and would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it.”
Although the events of that day weigh heavily on citizens, they do not appear to have influenced their voting decisions. Some Trump supporters said the assassination attempt strengthened their resolve to vote for him, while others said it did not affect their political feelings at all.
Victoria Rhodes, 25, a nurse who moved to Butler from Nashville, Tennessee, four months ago, said she is not yet sure how she will vote in November. What just happened in her fresh hometown doesn’t matter, she said.
“This is my first time voting in a presidential election,” she said. “I think I’m still trying to make up my mind because the political scene is pretty crazy right now.” While she hopes the assassination will peaceful the mood in America’s political debate, she says her experience is that friends her age are able to talk about their political differences without anger.
Jamie Brackley, who runs the motorcycle shop in downtown Butler, described himself as “neither” when it comes to starting a political party. Asked if the attempt on Trump’s life would affect his political views, he said, “No. I’m already a conspiracy theorist, so it doesn’t affect me in any way.”
Laneice Olesnevich, a 66-year-old Democrat, has lived in Butler her entire life. She called it “a good Christian town.”
Olesnevich said she was still undecided about her presidential nominee, but the assassination attempt would not affect her decision. Rather, she was waiting for more information about Trump’s running mate – he later picked U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio on Monday – and about Biden’s health.
“I feel sorry for the young man’s parents because their lives have become hell and I don’t think (what he did) will influence my decision,” she said.
She added: “I pray for this country every day because we desperately 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 catastrophic event on individuals, especially those directly connected to what happened. This is another reason why the shock will linger for years to come.
“The world is a crazy place,” said Jodie Snider of nearby Clarion, a retired police officer, Army officer and sniper who visited the Butler County Courthouse on Monday. “Butler, of all places.”
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Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Associated Press data journalist Kavish Harjai contributed from Los Angeles.
