Latest news with #HelenComperatore
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service
One year after Corey Comperatore was killed at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, his widow is demanding accountability from the Secret Service. "We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up," Helen Comperatore told Fox News. The Secret Service has admitted to multiple failures after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks climbed onto a rooftop and fired off eight rounds. Those shots killed Comperatore and wounded three others, including then-former President Donald Trump. "Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need covered? I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me," Comperatore said. TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST WATCH: FOX NATION'S 'BUTLER UNDER FIRE: THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE' Police say Crooks fired those gunshots. Investigators say the once-shy college student planned the attack for days, stockpiling weapons and making explosives in his bedroom. "If you could talk to Thomas Crooks' parents, what would you tell them?" Fox News Correspondent Alexis McAdams asked Helen Comperatore. JOURNALIST WHO REFUSED TO DUCK DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT REFLECTS ON BUTLER RALLY IN NEW BOOK "Why would you not go in there and look in his room and say…you know what son, you need help," Comperatore said. Trump said there will be a comprehensive report made about the assassination attempt, though it is unclear when that will be made public. FOX NATION REVEALS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN BUTLER CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Last words of 'hero' firefighter who died at Trump rally shooting revealed
The volunteer firefighter who died while shielding his family from the sniper who tried to kill former President Trump over the weekend at a rally in Pennsylvania said "get down!" as his final words, his wife has revealed. Helen Comperatore told the New York Post that she and her husband Corey were close to celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary when their family headed to the campaign event in Butler, outside of Pittsburgh, on Saturday. "He's my hero," Helen Comperatore said to the newspaper from her home in nearby Sarver, Pennsylvania. "He just said, 'get down!' That was the last thing he said." "Me and the kids were all there as a family," she added. "He was just excited. It was going to be a nice day with the family. TRUMP RALLY VICTIM COREY COMPERATORE DIED SHIELDING FAMILY AND 'WOULD'VE DONE IT AGAIN,' FRIEND SAYS Corey Comperatore, 50, was the former fire chief for the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. The department now has a memorial set up outside its firehouse featuring Comperatore's uniform to honor who they described as a "brother, son, husband, father and friend." "He was a simple man, but he put his wife and kids first all the time. I did nothing here. I didn't lift a finger. He did everything," Helen Comperatore told the New York Post in the wake of the shooting, which injured Trump and critically injured two other rallygoers who are expected to survive. LIVE UPDATES: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION Helen Comperatore also said President Biden tried to call her family following the incident but "I didn't want to talk to him. "I didn't talk to Biden," she said. "My husband was a devout Republican and he would not have wanted me to talk to him." "I don't have any ill-will towards Joe Biden," Helen Comperatore added. "I'm not one of those people that gets involved in politics. I support Trump, that's who I'm voting for but I don't have ill-will towards Biden." FAMILY MEMBERS SPEAK OUT FOLLOWING COREY COMPERATORE'S DEATH Helen Comperatore described the shooter at the rally, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, as a "despicable kid." On Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he spoke with Helen Comperatore. "Corey Comperatore was a girl dad. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community, and most especially Corey loves his family," he said at a news conference. "Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community." President Biden also said Sunday that he and first lady Jill Biden "extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired, and he lost his life. God love him," Biden said. Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Fox News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Widow, daughter of man killed at Trump Butler rally tell all in new Fox Nation show
The assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally last July claimed the life of one attendee — and altered the lives of his family forever. The second part of "Butler: Under Fire," titled "The Search for Justice," is now streaming on Fox Nation amid the one-year anniversary of the shocking day that nearly claimed Trump's life. Helen Comperatore's husband, Corey, was killed by gunfire from 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, and she spoke out alongside her daughter, Allyson, about the unimaginable tragedy during the special. "It's been extremely difficult," she said. "Sometimes I still feel like it's the day after, and sometimes I feel like it's been a year — it depends on the day." Helen revealed her challenges of navigating life without her late husband, who was a volunteer firefighter and devout Christian. "Sometimes I pretend he went to work, and then he'll be home in the evening just to get by the day, but he doesn't come home." "I have pictures of him everywhere at home, in every room," she continued. "I carry his driver's license in my wallet. I wear his clothes." Allyson shared her traumatic experience of having to tend to her father after he was hit by the gunfire at the Butler rally. She recalls being in shock after he crumpled to the ground as bullets rang out. "I felt him on me," she said during the somber interview on "Butler: Under Fire." "I was confused for a minute, because I was like, 'why does he feel so heavy?' When I looked back, I saw him just laying on top of me, limp." "I saw what had happened to him. I screamed. And I felt like nobody could hear me. I went to go put my hands on him to stop the bleeding. Everything else was just moving in slow motion." New cellphone footage from Corey's phone was also shown in part two of the special, documenting his recapturing of the rally up to when he was fatally struck. Screams can be heard from the footage as the phone laid still and Corey fell to the ground. "Just hearing your kid scream like that — it's torture," Helen added. Also in the episode, the Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) met with Helen to answer her questions about that fateful day. "They deserve to have the truth told," Butler County ESU Commander Ed Lenz said. "They gave us permission to do this. We have their blessing to be here, and they wanted to do this. That really is the deciding factor." Helen wanted to meet with local law enforcement to receive more information about that somber day. Upon meeting the unit, she received hugs from many. "For the team as a whole, getting to meet her and her showing support for the team means the world to all of us," ESU member Michael Murcko said. Lenz remarked on the "ultimate failure" that the Butler rally site wasn't entirely secure, and that Trump was even able to hold the event despite law enforcement's monitoring of Crooks. "What really gets me is that there was a threat and they [Secret Service] let him [Trump] come out on stage," she said. "If they had just held him, none of this would have ever happened." In Fox Nation's "Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback," new, previously unreleased drone footage captures the scene of the Butler rally, as well as close-up footage of Secret Service agents protecting Trump after shots rang out. Also shown are shocking videos of the crowd's reaction as everything unfolded, highlighting the fear of those who were in attendance that day. In the series, Trump himself reflects on the immense danger he was in at the rally. "130 yards is like sinking a one-foot putt," the president said, referring to the distance from which the shots traveled toward him. "It's considered really close." Fox Nation subscribers can enjoy a wealth of other Trump-related content in addition to "Butler Under Fire" and "The Art of the Surge." Several streaming specials highlight Trump's initiatives before or during his second term, including "President Trump: Middle East Trip," "President Trump's Cabinet: Sworn In" and "Trump Border Crackdown." Fox Nation programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. Go to Fox Nation to start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox Nation personalities.
Fox News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Corey Comperatore's widow sheds new light on final moments with her husband
The widow of slain former fire chief Corey Comperatore — who died tragically at President Donald Trump's July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — is shedding new light on her last moments with her husband that fateful day. "He was insanely excited. I was sleeping in, and he comes crawling on top of the bed like a little kid. He's like, 'Honey, we got to get up. We got to get there,'" Helen Comperatore said in the book, "Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland," written by Washington Examiner reporter Salena Zito. An excerpt from the book was published in the Washington Post on Sunday. "When he got that look, well, he was hard to resist," Helen said. Helen said her husband woke up for the rally just after 6 a.m. by jumping on the bed and was anxious about arriving late to the venue. "Oh, not Corey, he wasn't tired at all — he was ready to go, he was already showered and fully dressed and ready to attend our first Trump rally," Helen told Zito. Zito's book is based off of seven phone conversations she had with Trump the day following his near-death at the hands of an assassin in Butler, along with interviews with Helen and others. At the rally, lone gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, opened fire on Trump, killing Corey and wounding two others in the crowd. The 50-year-old father of two died while using his body to shield his wife and daughter from the gunfire raining down on the crowd. Crooks' bullet grazed Trump's ear the moment after the now-President turned his head. Trump attributed his survival, in which a sniper had come within a fraction of an inch of taking his life, to divine providence. "Why did I look away, Salena?... Divine intervention?... The hand of God… It was the hand of God," Trump told Zito. "I've had people that were not religious become religious over that moment because they said it was a miracle," he said. Trump returned to Butler in Oct. 2024 to pay tribute to the fallen fire chief. His boots and jacket were displayed onstage and "Ave Maria" was played. "I just want to do right by Corey… It's hard, it's tough," Trump told Zito. Helen, who last saw Trump at his March address before a joint session of Congress, said she was touched by Trump's tribute to her fallen husband, and said that the president had treated them as if they were his own family. "The president did the most meaningful thing in that moment. I thought it was beautiful," she said. "I just felt really comfortable with him. Just gave us a hug. And just like we were as family, he just really embraced us like we were a family. I mean, for a minute there, you forget you're talking to the President of the United States," she said. Helen said she finds the strength to go on from her husband's memory and from the president's immediate reaction to getting shot, in which he rallied the crowd to "fight, fight, fight." "He wants me to fight, to be strong, like the president said, 'fight, fight, fight,' we all need to be strong."
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump calls Butler widow, Secret Service agrees to meeting after call for accountability
The widow of Trump rally shooting victim Corey Comperatore said the president called her after watching her interview on Fox News and vowed that he would always be there for her. Helen Comperatore also told Fox News Correspondent Alexis McAdams that Secret Service Director Sean Curran phoned her as well, mentioning he was heartbroken after watching her speak ahead of the 1-year anniversary of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Curran said he will meet with her to review the case, according to Comperatore. "We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up," Helen Comperatore said during the interview while demanding accountability from the Secret Service. The Secret Service has admitted to multiple failures after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks climbed onto a rooftop and fired off eight rounds. Those shots killed Comperatore – a volunteer firefighter -- and wounded three others, including then-former President Donald Trump. "Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need covered? I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me," Comperatore told Fox News. She said during her call with Curran, he apologized that she went so long without receiving updates and said that now that he is in charge of the Secret Service, things will be different. Curran pledged to try and answer all the questions she has about the July 13, 2024, shooting, Comperatore added. The widow also told Fox News that after a year without answers, she finally feels the Secret Service is listening to her. In her call with Trump, the president said the families affected that day will forever be connected because of the tragedy, according to Comperatore. Trump said there will be a comprehensive report made about the assassination attempt, though it is unclear when that will be made public. Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.
