WATCH LIVE: Trump returns to Pennsylvania rally shooting range to campaign with Vance and Musk

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump plans to return Saturday to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, as the former president puts aside his now near-constant concerns about his physical safety for a promise to honor — “really a commitment,” he said recently — to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Watch it live in the player above.

“I'll probably start by saying, 'Like I said…'” the Republican presidential candidate joked with some dark humor about a speech that was cut short when a bullet hit Trump's ear and he was thrown off the stage with his fist became airborne – and blood dripped down his face.

READ MORE: Butler is still struggling with the aftermath of the assassination attempt before Trump's return

Trump's vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will also be on hand at the Butler Farm Show site, as will billionaire Elon Musk, as the campaign underscores the headline potential of his return with just 30 days to go before the end of their close campaign against the Democratic Party Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The campaign expects tens of thousands of people to attend the event, billed as a “homage to the American spirit.” According to a local Facebook page, local hotels, motels and inns were reportedly full and some eager rally-goers had already arrived on Friday.

Hundreds of people lined up as the sun rose on Saturday. A memorial was placed in the stands for firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his family from gunfire. His firefighter jacket was on display surrounded by flowers.

A view shows a memorial to Corey Comperatore, a retired volunteer fire chief who was shot in the July assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, on the day of Trump's return home in Butler, Pennsylvania, Oct. 5, 2024. Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters

“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.”

Trump will use the event at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to remember Corey Comperatore, a volunteer firefighter who was struck and killed at the July 13 rally, and the two other injured rally participants, David Dutch and James Copenhaver , to be appreciated. She and Trump were hit when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire from an unsecured roof nearby before being fatally shot by snipers.

How Crooks managed to outmaneuver law enforcement that day and climb a building within striking distance of the ex-president is among the countless questions that remain unanswered about the Secret Service's worst security failure in decades. Another reason is his motive, which has never been clarified.

REGARD: Congressional Task Force Hearing on Attempted Trump Assassination and Local Law Enforcement

Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger told WPXI-TV this week that “everyone is redoubling their efforts to make sure this is done safely and correctly.”

Mike Slupe, the county sheriff, told the station he estimated that the Secret Service – which is facing a painful reckoning over its handling of two Trump assassination attempts – was using “four times its assets” as it did in July.

Butler County, on the western edge of a coveted presidential swing state, is a Trump stronghold. He won the district — where voter turnout is an impressive 80 percent — with about 66 percent of the vote in 2016 and 2020. About 57 percent of Butler County's 139,000 registered voters are Republicans, compared to about 29 percent Democrats and 14 percent some other.

A person photographs a statue of Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump standing in the back of a truck on the day Trump returns to the site of his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on October 5. 2024. Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters

Three months later, citizens are divided over the value of his return. Heidi Priest, a Butler resident who started a Facebook group supporting Harris, said Trump's latest visit has inflamed political tensions in the city.

“Whenever you see people supporting him and being happy that he's here, it scares people who don't want to see him re-elected,” she said.

But Trump needs to increase voter turnout in conservative strongholds like Butler County, a predominantly white rural-suburban community, if he wants to win Pennsylvania in November. Harris has also focused her campaign efforts on Pennsylvania, repeatedly rallying there in critical swing states as part of her aggressive outreach efforts.