Donald Trump returned to the place where he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania – and started with a joke.

“Thank you,” he said to a large crowd, reportedly numbering tens of thousands. “A big thank you. We love Pennsylvania, and like I said” – which drew huge cheers from the audience.

He added: “I return to Butler to deliver a simple message… We will make America great again, we will win the election. And to all Americans…Together in just one month, we will usher in the election of a new golden age.

Speaking about the attack, Mr. Trump said the gunman “wanted to silence me and the MAGA movement.”

He continued: “For 16 seconds, time stood still as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil. This villain did not succeed.”

Shortly after Mr. Trump began speaking, the crowd began chanting “Corey,” referring to the firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died while protecting his family from the gunfire.

At 6:11 p.m., when shots were fired on July 13, Trump called for a minute of silence. A bell rang four times, once for each of the four victims, including himself.

Some in the crowd chanted “Fight, fight, fight” – the slogan Mr. Trump used to rally his supporters shortly after he was shot.

Mr Trump later repeated the phrase himself. His presidential candidate JD Vance said the former president had “taken a shot for democracy”.

There was also a spontaneous rendition of the American national anthem.

Mr. Trump returned to the Butler Farm Show site – the exact location where a The bullet seemed to hit The former president's ear in July.

In one of the defining images of this year's campaign, he was carried off stage with blood dripping down his face.

Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from an unsecured roof near the July 13 rally before being fatally shot.

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His motive for the shooting is still unknown and the incident raises serious security questions Failures within the Secret Service. Its principal, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned less than two weeks after the shooting.

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Last month, a second attempt on Mr. Trump was reportedly carried out when a gunman hid undetected for nearly 12 hours at the former president's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, plotting to kill him, prosecutors said.

The suspected shooter was stopped by a Secret Service agent who was patrolling the route ahead of the former president.