It was a normal day for a Trump rally.
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It was a normal day for a Trump rally. Except the traffic getting into the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a small town located an hour north of Pittsburgh, was heavier than usual and backed up for almost two hours.
Some friendly folks living on the two-lane route offered up their lawns for parking ($20) or had lemonade and snack stands set up in their driveways in the 90-degree heat of a sunny July day.
People who parked along the route and were walking to the Butler Farm Show rally location were making better time than the tens of thousands of us in cars trying to get to the venue’s parking lots several miles away.
After parking, it was a long walk through the parking lot to the merchandise row and then a long wait to the check-in lines. Once inside, the rally had the feel of any other Trump outdoors rally to most attendees.
Secret Service officers patrolled the grounds of the rally. including the area at the far end away from the stage.
The Trump campaign had a table set up to recruit volunteers for Trump Force 47.
The rally was held in a large field at the Butler Farm Show property. Plenty of room for tens of thousands of supporters.
The flag over the stage got tangled up by the wind. At one point it appeared to look like an angel or a cross. Not seen in this photo, the press pen had at least two armed officers from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations unit patrolling inside–both women. Their presence struck me as unusual for the Trump rallies I’ve covered.
The flag was untangled and re-hoisted above the stage.
360 degree video taken from the rear of the press pen of the overflow crowd at 5 p.m.
As far as the eye can see. 360 of supporters at Trump Butler, PA rally taken 5 p.m. EDT from back of press pen. pic.twitter.com/oStnJsYhRD
— Kristinn Taylor (@KristinnFR) July 13, 2024
“I’m voting for the convicted felon.”
“Take America Back.”
Many attendees I spoke to were from Butler, like these ladies, or nearby. Also, like these ladies, many in the crowd were not who one would expect to see at a Republican rally. Evidence of Trump expanding the base was definitely witnessed at the Butler rally.
Before Trump took the stage, one of the sniper teams on the roof of a building behind the stage were checking something out. Attendees in the top row of the bleachers on stage left stood up to look at what had drawn the interest of the snipers.
“If this flag offends you, I’ll help you pack.”
Trump rallies are dance parties. Even in the 90 degree heat, some had the energy to do the YMCA dance as they waited for a late arriving Trump to take the stage.
Cellphones held up high to capture President Trump taking the stage to Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A.
President Trump started speaking a few minutes after 6 p.m. My view of the stage was obscured so I took some photos of him on the jumbo TV screen.
This is the last photo I took of President Trump before the shooting. Everything was normal–until it wasn’t.
Photos from after the shooting in Part Two.
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