Jennifer Stys is ready to rally for former President Donald Trump.

Stys, 53, of Butler, has a ticket to Saturday’s campaign event at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler Township. On July 13, it was the site of an assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee.

Stys was not at the July rally, but she said she wasn’t going to miss Trump’s return.

“I think for him, as the candidate, given what happened, he has to finish what he started,” Stys said, “and also so he can recognize the sacrifice of the families who were affected by (the assassination attempt). I think it’s personal because, I mean, he almost got killed.”

Trump’s ear was grazed by a bullet, and he was quickly escorted off the stage by the Secret Service, blood running down his face.

Rallygoer Corey Comperatore, a Buffalo Township firefighter, was killed by a stray bullet. James Copenhaver of Moon and David Dutch of Plum suffered gunshot wounds that led to extended stays in area hospitals.

Gunman Thomas Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper who returned fire.

Stys said several members of her church who were at the first rally plan to return Saturday.

“I think it proves that we’re not scared,” said Chloe Wiley, 32, who was running a Trump merchandise stand on a drizzly Tuesday morning in the parking lot of Murdick’s Auto Parts and Racing Supplies. The store is minutes away from the farm show grounds.

“He’s coming back to show people he’s not scared,” said Matt Cooper, 23, of Pittsburgh, who was working the merchandise stand with Wiley. “He said he wanted to finish the rally he started.”

Opinions varied across the Butler area Tuesday as to whether or not Trump should return to the site.

“I think he almost has to come back to instill confidence in people,” said Jamie Brackley, 58, of Butler, who works at Cycle Warehouse on Main Street in the city. Brackley said he doesn’t plan to attend Saturday’s rally.

“I wouldn’t feel safe,” he said. “I had an opportunity to go to the first one, but it’s just not something I’m really interested in.”

Paul Strobel, 82, of Lyndora isn’t planning to attend the rally.

“I’m not going, but if I did, I think I’d feel safe,” he said. “I certainly hope they have better security this time.”

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said he’s heard just about every opinion about Trump’s return.

“There are people who can’t wait for him to come back, and there are people who have said we’re not ready yet, that we need some more time to heal,” Slupe said.

Mixed feelings

The assassination attempt has been the “No. 1 topic” of conversation since July 13, said Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee. He has so many lingering questions about the shooting and consequent investigations that he keeps a running list.

“There’s a lot of activity going on right now, people wanting answers,” Hulings said. “I am not in a minority there at all. There’s a lot of people asking questions.”

Wiley said in speaking with other merchandise vendors, she’s expecting a massive number of people to be in the area Saturday.

“We’re thinking it’s going to be the biggest rally in the history of rallies,” she said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there were 2,500 vendors set up and operating.”

Kim Bietz and Fran Robinson of Butler were not so sure it was a good idea.

“I think it’s dangerous for him to come back,” Bietz said. “I think he’s asking for it.”

Robinson said bringing the rally back to Butler Township “is dangerous for him and for the community.”

Kim Geyer, a Republican Butler County commissioner, plans to attend the rally Saturday, just as she did in July when she sat behind Trump.

“I kind of have mixed feelings about it, but I’m resolved to moving forward,” Geyer said. “I think that the people that may be affected more negatively are going to just stay home. And the people that want to feel the inspiration and the energy from the Trump movement are going to attend to support President Trump and let him finish what he began.”

On Tuesday, township and county officials were taking part in a security meeting in advance of Saturday’s rally, according to staff at both offices.

That meeting did not include Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only elected official in the county who is a Democrat. He said he’s extremely concerned he has not seen any kind of contract between Trump’s campaign and the county.

“My background is in firefighting and EMT work, so when the first rally was happening, I questioned why we didn’t have a contract,” Boozel said. “I wanted something in writing so we all knew what was expected. I don’t believe there were clear expectations going into the (July 13) rally.”

Slupe said he’s been in touch with members of the U.S. Secret Service and was part of a security meeting Monday.

“We had a good meeting, and the team we met with provided plenty of detail,” Slupe said. “We weren’t on-site, but it sounds like the upcoming meetings will be taking place at the farm show grounds.”

Secret Service criticized

Law enforcement has come under heavy criticism since the assassination attempt. In a congressional hearing Sept. 26, Butler County Emergency Services Unit Cmdr. Edward Lenz, who is a sergeant with Adams Township police, testified the Secret Service didn’t advise county law enforcement on where or when to position their security teams for the July 13 rally.

Agents didn’t walk through the site with local police the day before the rally, Lenz told investigators. Nor did they check in with the county teams on the day of the rally.

Slupe said security organizers made it very clear this week they want constant, clear communication among the agencies involved.

“They made sure to let us know, if anyone is uncomfortable with anything, to immediately reach out,” he said. “I think that came out of the issues that have arisen from the various investigations. It’s always been that way, but they made sure to let us know, they want to hear from us if there’s anything we see or that we’re unsure about.”

Boozel said he can’t understand why there isn’t a better framework in place for county staff taking part in the rally.

He said when the county sheriff’s office works a non-county-related event, “we always have a written agreement about how things will work. This one is different for some reason, and everyone’s being weird about it.”

County costs

Boozel said he’s received a large number of emails from county residents asking about the cost of county resources used in and around both the July 13 rally and the one coming up.

On Sept. 26, Boozel emailed fellow commissioners, county emergency management and other county officials noting the large number of Right-To-Know requests they’d received regarding the July 13 rally.

“I asked that any county resources being expended go into a contract or a memorandum of understanding,” he said.

Boozel said county commissioners also have the ability to waive the fees for the use of those resources, but to his knowledge, there has not been any public discussion or vote taken to do so.

“The only response I got to my email was from our emergency management director, who said they attended a security meeting on Monday,” Boozel said. “If there are costs associated with this, that information should be available to the public.”

Boozel said he recently spoke with a former Marine who was at the July 13 rally.

“He told me he had a hard time stepping back onto the grounds,” Boozel said. “I had family at the first rally, and they haven’t spoken about it. I don’t know if they’re going back.”

Brian Krause, 51, of Grove City says he supports neither Trump nor Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. But he thinks it is appropriate for Trump to come back to the area.

“I think it’s important for him, and it’s important for the Secret Service to show that they’re on top of things,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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