Donald Trump hasn't called the family of a man killed at his rally

Corey Comperatore’s wife told the New York Post that Biden did call, but she refused to take it

By Nandika Chatterjee

News Fellow

Published July 16, 2024 11:56AM (EDT)

Former president Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Show Inc. on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa. Trump ducked and was taken offstage after loud noises were heard after he began speaking. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Former president Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Butler Farm Show Inc. on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pa. Trump ducked and was taken offstage after loud noises were heard after he began speaking. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The wife of Corey Comperatore — the man who lost his life to a bullet possibly intended for Donald Trump — has yet to hear from the former president, she told the New York Post on Monday evening.  

The 50-year-old former fire chief was killed at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday when he tried to shield his wife and daughters from the gunfire. His spouse, Helen Comperatore, said that her husband was her “hero,” telling the Post that his last words to his family were “get down!”

She confirmed that while she hadn’t heard from Trump, President Joe Biden had indeed reached out. However, she refused to take the call.

"I didn't talk to Biden. I didn't want to talk to him," she said. "My husband was a devout Republican, and he would not have wanted me to talk to him."

She added that she didn’t blame Biden for her husband’s death, but she was voting for Trump and was not very involved in politics, Business Insider reported.

"I don't have any ill-will towards Joe Biden," she told the Post. "He didn't do anything to my husband. A 20-year-old despicable kid did."

Some Republicans do not hold the same beliefs as the former fire chief’s wife. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, who was confirmed as Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Committee convention that kicked off on Monday, immediately blamed Biden for the attempted assassination of Trump, despite the perpetrator being a registered Republican.

Although Trump hasn’t called any victims — two men were also critically wounded — he has extended his condolences via Truth Social posts. His team also shared a link to a GoFundMe “authorized” by the former president, which as of Tuesday morning had raised $4.8 million for the victims’ families.


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