The visit comes a month before the Nov. 5 election as Trump seeks to shore up support in a key state.

Former US President Donald Trump – the Republican candidate in the presidential election – will return to Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived an assassination attempt in July.

On Saturday, supporters gathered for the rally, which comes just a month before the Nov. 5 election as Trump continues to run neck-and-neck with Democratic nominee for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump's campaign had predicted that tens of thousands of people would attend the event, which it called a “tribute to the American spirit.” Trump is expected to speak at 5:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT).

The former president had been on stage July 13 when he narrowly avoided a bullet fired by a man sitting on a nearby roof. Trump briefly fell to the ground as Secret Service agents rushed toward him. Then, with a bloody ear, he stood up, pumped his fist in the air and chanted “fight, fight, fight” as he was carried off the stage.

The shooting, which left one attendee dead, changed the election season and gave Trump a brief boost as his campaign portrayed the incident as evidence of Trump's resilience.

Still, the initial attack was largely overshadowed by US President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race in July, allowing Harris' rise.

The shooting also raised the specter of political violence in the US, with Trump briefly vowing to take a more unified approach before returning to the charged rhetoric that has defined his political career. Trump has largely blamed the attack on Democrats' claims that it posed an existential threat to US democracy.

In September, Trump clashed again with an assassin while playing golf at his Florida resort, further inflaming the political climate.

“Strength and Resilience”

Trump's much-anticipated return to Butler was widely seen as an attempt to regain the momentum he felt in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

He will be joined by billionaire Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump just minutes after the attack in July, his running mate, Senator JD Vance, and the family of Corey Comperatore, the man shot in the attack.

“President Trump looks forward to returning to Butler, Pennsylvania to honor the victims of that tragic day,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “The willingness of Pennsylvanians to join President Trump in his return to Butler represents the strength and resilience of the American people.”

The former president will speak behind protective glass as the Secret Service continues to face questions about the security breach that allowed 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks to evade detection as he took up positions on a rooftop in direct line of sight with Trump . Crooks was fatally shot at the scene.

Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the days after the attack, prompting both internal investigations and a congressional probe.

Anthony Guglielmi, the chief spokesman for the Secret Service, told NBC News that “our people are being stretched to the limit” as they have tried to ensure that another attack does not occur.

“We recognize that this is not sustainable and we cannot risk another mission failing,” he said.