Trump appears before large crowd at site of assassination attempt in Pennsylvania

Butler (Reuters): Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Saturday returned to the rural Pennsylvania site where he was nearly assassinated, rallying a large crowd in the critical battleground state one month before the Nov. 5 election.

"As I was saying," Trump said as he appeared on stage, pretending he was resuming the speech that was interrupted when he was grazed in the ear by a bullet on July 13.

In mid-speech Trump called up on stage a powerful ally, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and owner of social media platform X. It was his first time at a Trump campaign event since he endorsed the former president after July 13.

Musk literally jumped up on stage with his arms held high.

"The true test of someone's character is how they behave under fire," Musk said, calling the election a "must-win situation" for Trump and urging the crowd to register to vote.

"Be a pest to everyone you know," Musk said.

Trump saluted firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was shot and killed by the shooter, and two other people who were wounded.

At 6:11 p.m., the exact time when gunfire erupted on July 13, Trump called for a moment of silence. A bell then tolled four times, once for each of the four victims, including Trump.

In his speech, Trump hinted darkly without evidence about facing "an enemy from within" more dangerous than a foreign adversary. Of the gunman, he said "a cold-blooded assassin aimed to silence me" but "did not stop our movement."