The assassination attempt against Donald Trump has pitted Democrats and Republicans against each other in a way that one historian calls ‘outright frightening.’
By Tim Craig, The Washington PostStore windows reflecting Main Street on August 27, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. One of the city’s most famous artists has created a 400-pound sculpture of Donald Trump raising his fist in the air, capturing the moment that split this Pennsylvania community in two. Digital billboards blaming Democrats and the media for the assassination attempt still flash around town. And supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris say they’re routinely heckled.
Trump won 65 percent of the vote in Butler County in 2020 and needs to win here by a large margin again to carry Pennsylvania, motivating both Republicans and Democrats to get out the vote. But in the process, divisions are withering the backbone of a community“People that come in are very Jennifer Ford, the historical society’s executive director, said Butler has seen flashes of political tension before, especially considering the community’s proximity to heavily unionized Pittsburgh. But Ford said she can’t recall another time that was “as outright frightening.”Long before it was known as the place where Trump was shot, Butler’s biggest claim to fame was being home of the Jeep.
Today, Butler is a community at a crossroads. The Cleveland-Cliffs Butler Works steel plant still provides 1,100 well-paying jobs. And while people here say many younger residents still move to find better paying jobs elsewhere, Butler is one of just two counties in Western Pennsylvania where the population is growing,Butler County is a rural area with small towns interspersed among rolling hills and farms.
The Butler County Republican Party had long been marred by internal divisions, but chairman James E. Hulings said today it is more unified than it has been in years. He said the party gained 1,000 new voters over the summer. State voter registration records show Republicans have gained 2,000 new voters since December last year and now number 80,000.
Heidi Marie Priest, a Democrat and local real estate agent, saw the outpouring of support for Trump in Butler with concern. She worries about what another Trump presidency might mean for her three daughters. So when President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Harris became the de facto nominee, she decided to do more.
They had tried not to draw attention to themselves, but a heckler still spotted the group and yelled, “Trump 2024!”flooded the local Democratic Party with new volunteers. Many said they are optimistic they can still secure an important number of votes for the vice president. Others said they were encouraged by the strong turnout, despite the often hostile environment.
Priest, for example, said she has received unnerving messages at her Realtor’s office since launching the Facebook group. is located near the farm show grounds where Trump was shot, and about 100 yards from an intersection where the word “fight” has been spray-painted on the road.Sue Legacy, the homeowner with the Biden sign, said she is used to hearing motorists hurl expletives.Within two hours of the shooting, John Placek began displaying a digital billboard blaming Democrats for the assassination attempt. The sign shows Trump gripping an American flag along with a target over his face.
mailer to his constituents accusing the media and Biden administration of “all but pulling the trigger” on July 13. Bernstine defended the mailing in an interview, saying the media and Biden administration officials should not be stating Trump is a threat to democracy.
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