Donald Trump returns to scene of assassination attempt as Elon Musk leaps on stage & tells crowd ‘vote, vote, vote’

DEFIANT Donald Trump has returned to the scene of the attempt to assassinate him in Pennsylvania - behind a bullet-proof screen.

The former US President — hoping to retake the White House next month — returned to Butler, telling his adoring fans: "I’m fulfilling an obligation."

He joked: "A very big thank you to Pennsylvania.

"We love Pennsylvania, and as I was saying..."

The Republican candidate, 78, is in an incredibly tight race with Democrat Kamala Harris and will likely need the Keystone State's votes to win.

After returning to the site where he was shot in July, Trump pledged never to quit, "not even in the face of death itself".

He said: "We fought together. We have endured together. We have pushed onward together.

"And right here in Pennsylvania, we have bled together. We've bled."

The former president's face was left spattered with blood when a sniper's bullet grazed his ear in the shocking act of violence, in which Trump supporter Corey Comperatore died.

Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service snipers moments later.

Trump said: "Exactly 12 weeks ago… on this very ground, a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me and to silence the greatest movement.

"For 16 harrowing seconds during the gunfire, time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper’s perch.

“But by the hand of Providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal. Did not come close.

“He did not stop our movement. He did not break out our spirit."

Trump appeared on stage alongside running mate JD Vance and billionaire supporter Elon Musk.

The trio all spoke from behind a large glass screen surrounding the stage.

Tesla founder Musk jumped into the air and did a star jump while on stage, joking he was in "dark MAGA" as his hat was black.

He then took to the podium and told the massive crowd: "America is the home of the brave and the true test of someone’s character is how they behave under fire.

"We had one president who couldn’t climb a flight of stairs and another who was fist-pumping after getting shot! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"

The excited billionaire also justified his repetition of urging supporters to vote.

He said: "I'm being repetitive for a reason.

"Honestly you want to be a pest. Fight, fight, fight! Vote, vote, vote!"

Musk's appearance at the rally was the first time he'd ever taken the stage at a political rally.

He gushed that he was inspired to endorse Trump publicly after the failed assassination attempt made in Butler.

The crowd could also be heard chanting "Elon! Elon! Elon!" as he and the ex-president exchanged jokes on Starlink - which Musk donated systems of to victims of hurricane Helene.

Trump admitted: "I didn't know what the hell Starlink was."

The family of Comperatore, the rally-goer killed when 20-year-old gunman Crooks opened fire on Trump, was also present.

A massive crowd stood shoulder to shoulder from the stage all the way back to the press stand several hundred yards away at the event, billed as a "tribute to the American spirit".

Trump called for a moment of silence for the deceased rally-attender, which was followed by an opera singer performing "Ave Maria".

A bell also rung at the same time gunfire began three months ago.

Area hotels, motels and inns were reported to be full with crowds lining up as the sun rose on Saturday.

A memorial for firefighter Comperatore was set up in the bleachers, with his fireman's jacket on display surrounded by flowers.

There was a visibly heightened security presence, with armed law enforcement officers in camouflage uniforms on roofs.

Trump's plane did fly-bys over the venue before his arrival, drawing cheers from those gathered on the field below.

The man who allegedly staked out Trump on his golf course in Florida has been charged with attempting to assassinate him.

Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was denied bail at a court hearing on Monday - hours after prosecutors cited a letter offering $150,000 to "finish the job" as evidence of why he should be kept locked up pending trial.

Routh had been initially charged with two federal firearms offences but the upgraded charges reflect the Justice Department's assessment that he plotted to kill Trump.

They claim this is through Routh aiming a rifle through the shrubbery surrounding Trump's West Palm Beach golf course on an afternoon the ex-president was playing on it.

In an interview with Dr. Phil, Trump placed some blame on President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, for the assassination attempt on his life.

Trump said he believed Biden did not "care about his health and safety," despite the president reaching out and speaking to him shortly after the July 13 attack.

The Republican presidential candidate described his relationship with Biden as having "a lot of hatred."

When questioned by Dr. Phil as to whether he thought Biden and Harris cared if he was hurt, Trump responded, "I don't know."

"He always made it very tough for us to have the proper number of Secret Service people," he said of President Biden.

"I have these massive rallies with 50-60,000 people or more... and our people were always fighting to get more security, more Secret Service, and [Biden] knew that we didn't have enough."