BUTLER, Pa. >> Donald Trump is going back to Butler, where the world last saw him pump his fist and beseech followers to “fight,” even as blood streaked his face from a would-be assassin’s bullet.

In announcing his return, the former president and current Republican nominee said he planned to “celebrate a unifying vision for America’s future in an event like the world has never seen before.”

Is Butler ready?

Though many are predicting a large crowd to hear Trump speak back at the very Farm Show property where a bullet grazed his right ear July 13, there is also apprehension in town, along with a sense that Butler still is healing.

“I’ve consulted with, at least, like 500 people since this has happened,” said registered nurse Shanea Clancy, who runs a mental health consulting service in Butler County and has seen people more anxious since the shooting. Some show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The big theme, if you will, is just, ‘How did something like that happen in our backyard?’ ” Clancy said.

The assassination attempt has resonated deeply in the mountainous community north of Pittsburgh. Trump enjoys wide support there, having easily doubled Hillary Clinton’s vote total on his way to winning the White House in 2016. He nearly did so again against Joe Biden in 2020. But Butler County was better for Democrats two years ago, when the party’s gubernatorial nominee, Josh Shapiro, took about 43% of the vote there.

To claim the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania in November, Trump needs to drive up voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, an overwhelmingly White, rural-suburban community with a record of voting for Republicans.

More security?

On Saturday, the former president will speak where thousands of people, including children, witnessed him and the others get shot. Former Buffalo Township Fire Company Chief Corey Comperatore was killed, while David Dutch and James Copenhaver were both hospitalized with injuries. U.S. Secret Service killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Last weekend, retired food service worker Sally Sarvey was picking up Trump signs and a T-shirt from a GOP tent at a street festival in nearby Slippery Rock. She said she will “make it a point” to witness Trump’s return this Saturday, but she’s mindful of what happened in July.

“Hopefully, they’ll have more security that acts faster,” Sarvey said.

There are visible signs of the tension left behind. “Fight” graffiti — echoing Trump’s words in the immediate aftermath of the shooting — began showing up around Butler County in the ensuing two weeks. In some places, the word “fight” on roadways was countered by another spray painted message: “love.”

The assassination attempt has been the “No. 1 topic” of conversation since July 13, said Jim Hulings, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee.

He has so many lingering questions about the shooting and consequent investigations that he keeps a running list.

‘A burden on all of us’

Police and emergency officials have faced questions from investigators looking into the shootings from the state police, FBI and Congress.

The county government has fielded some 300 open records requests, five times what it normally gets in a year. Many are bracing for litigation that could extend for years.

“I’m not going to lie — it’s a burden on all of us,” said Butler Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse. “It wears on you. And it’s been a trying time the last several months.”

County Commissioner Kevin Boozel, the only Democrat holding countywide elected office in Butler, said what happened two months ago has some concerned about Saturday’s rally.