Trump's butler return showed a fusion of Trumpism and Christianity: NPR

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. This was the first time Trump returned to Butler since he was injured in an assassination attempt on July 13.

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Nearly eight hours before Trump spoke in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Bernie Haney and his wife Christa managed to snag seats near the stage. They had been present at the July 13 shooting and their faith in God was part of their decision to return.

“We were a little worried about coming,” Bernie Haney said. “But we firmly believe that God was paying attention to him because of the angel.”

“If God took care of him then, He would take care of him now,” Haney added.

The “angel” he mentions refers to a giant flag that hung over the stage on July 13th. As the wind ruffled them, some believed the resulting shape looked like an angel. After Trump narrowly escaped the assassination attempt, the flag took on a more important meaning.

On Saturday, that flag angel was constantly on the rally screens, and it was even featured on a sign on the way into town.

It's an example of a long-standing phenomenon: Evangelical Christianity, which existed in the Republican Party long before Trump, has now merged with Trump's cult of personality as he took over the party. The result is powerful fuel for his campaign, which was clearly on display on Butler Saturday.

Dark reflection, with a lot of celebration

The rally was sombre at times – there was a moment of silence for Corey Comperatore, who died on July 13th. This minute was followed by the ringing of a bell and a recording of Ave Maria.

But the mood also often turned solemn, with several speakers praising God for saving Trump from the shooter.

Among them was vice presidential candidate JD Vance.

“As confident as I stand here today, I believe that what happened was a true miracle,” Vance told the crowd. “And that day America felt the truth of the Scriptures: 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.' I firmly believe that God saved President Trump's life that day.

Trump himself repeated this in his speech.

“By the hand of providence and the grace of God, this villain did not achieve his goal or come close to achieving it,” Trump said. “He didn’t break our spirit. He has not shaken our unyielding determination to save America from the evils of poverty, hatred and destruction.”

Many Trump supporters, like Christa and Bernie Haney, believe this. But this leads to a difficult question of faith: If God saved Trump, why doesn't He spare Comperatore?

They admitted that it was a difficult question.

“I mean, my heart goes out to this family, the Comperatore family,” Christa Haney said, and her husband jumped in to elaborate.

“We don’t know why he wasn’t protected,” Bernie Haney said. “But you know, you don’t always know why God does what he does.”

Fervent belief in Trump

Trump supporters use language to describe him that goes beyond the way many voters talk about politicians.

“He touched something, I think, in all of us that we see what it was like and what it could be and what it isn't now,” Mark Usciak said as he stood in line Saturday morning.

With millions already voting, Trump's supporters sense the urgency is increasing. Several, like Peg Napolitano, told me they were volunteering for the campaign. In fact, Napolitano quit her job to devote time to Trump.

“I took early retirement from my job of 18 years and have been doing this ever since because I realized in that moment how important this really is,” she said of July 13th. “I have six grandchildren and I can't fight for him so why not? He got up on July 13th and continued to fight?”

Even at a rally on a somber occasion, Trump still gave a Trump speech. He portrayed undocumented immigrants as dangerous – which has no factual basis – and sowed distrust in elections – Trump warned repeatedly that the Democrats would cheat this year.

Again, there is no evidence of this. But Trump ally Elon Musk, who made a special appearance, put the situation in dire terms.

“Send people a text now – Now — and then make sure they actually vote,” he told the crowd. “If they don’t, this will be the last election.” That’s my prediction.”

This shows that the Trump campaign is not slowing down a month before Election Day. They do not evangelize to the unconverted. They cheer on the believers and ensure that the whole flock goes to the polls.