Former President Donald Trump plans returned on Saturday to the site where a gunman tried to assassinate him in July, setting aside what are now near-constant worries for his physical safety in order to fulfil a promise — “really an obligation,” he said recently — to the people of Butler, Pennsylvania. “I’ll probably start off by saying, ‘As I was saying ...’” the Republican presidential nominee has joked, in a bit of dark humour about a speech cut short when a bullet struck Trump’s ear and he was whisked off stage—fist aloft—with blood dripping across his face.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, also will be on hand at the Butler Farm Show grounds, as will billionaire Elon Musk, as the campaign elevates the headline-generating potential of his return with just 30 days to go in their tight campaign against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.