By Julia Terruso
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — When President-elect Donald Trump ends his inaugural address next week, a group of police and EMTs who responded to the assassination attempt on his life in Butler will lead a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The July assassination attempt at the Butler Farm Show Grounds — just days before the Republican National Convention — was a defining moment of the 2024 campaign. Many of the Pennsylvania supporters who were there that day will be together again for Trump’s inauguration.
The shooter, who was killed by a Secret Service sniper, clipped Trump’s ear, killed Corey Comperatore, a firefighter from Buffalo Township, and wounded two others. The assassination attempt prompted immediate questions about security failures, resulting in the resignation of then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and a bipartisan Congressional Task Force, which was led by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R., Pa.), a Butler native.
“What we did together at the Butler Farm Show Grounds as first responders, police, and pre-hospital emergency teams on that terrible day in July is what we are trained to do in Butler County every day: protect and save lives,” the Butler County First Responders said in a statement provided by the Trump Inauguration Committee.
“We hope all Americans will pause today to remember the bravery and sacrifice of their own first responders...we are honored to be here to represent them all, and immensely proud to salute our fellow life-savers nationwide by marching together in the Inaugural Parade.”
Following the assassination attempt, Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed Trump, the beginning of a strong political alliance between Trump and the world’s richest man. The moment became a unifying call for Trump, who returned to Butler for a rally in October.
The Butler first responders are listed second in marching order after the U.S. Army in an expansive list featuring participants from 23 states. The parade on Monday goes from the Capitol to the White House and including veterans groups, high school and university marching bands, and equestrian groups.
The day is likely to be both a celebratory display of Trump and his expanded GOP base. It will also usher in a swift reversal of President Joe Biden’s policy agenda, which could have immediate impacts on the region. Trump has said he’ll take bold Day 1 action on several measures, including pardoning Jan. 6 prisoners, shutting down the U.S. - Mexico border, and ordering mass deportations.
He could sign executive orders anytime after taking the oath but presidents have traditionally waited to do so until they are in the Oval Office later in the day, following the parade.
A horse named Trump
The other Pennsylvania group participating in the inaugural parade is an award-winning Belgian six-horse hitch from Tunkhannock, near Scranton.
The Belgian horses pull a big red wagon with white wheels, the kind used 100 years ago to haul freight. The hitch has won awards across the country — including one of its wheel horses, whose “barn name” (or nickname) is Trump.
“Trump won Pennsylvania and we have a horse who happens to be named Trump that is the North American champion gelding,” said Don Sherwood, a former congressman from Northeastern Pennsylvania, who owns the horse hitch.
Sherwood said he reached out to the inaugural committee suggesting his horses be featured. He also told newly sworn-in Republican Sen. Dave McCormick about the idea, who he thinks may have put in a good word.
The horses have performed in parades and shows around the country but this will be their first presidential inauguration. They’ll stay overnight in a van in Washington and be well-fed to withstand the cold temperatures expected on Monday.
“They do well in the cold, we may freeze our you-know-whats off,” Sherwood said. “But it’s sort of a once-in-a-lifetime deal for all of us. We’re thrilled.”
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