Donald Trump‘s supporters are radical and ambitious; they do not forget history! Recently, a couple has travelled more than 900 miles to stand on the grounds where Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt exactly one year ago. Wendell “Doss” Dennison and his wife, Donna, drove their newly purchased camper van from East Machias, Maine, to Butler, Pennsylvania.
The detour was no ordinary sightseeing stop. For Doss, a middle school history and civics teacher, it was a pilgrimage to what he considers a defining moment in modern American history. On their way home from visiting their children and grandchildren in Virginia, they made a 300-mile detour to stand at the fairgrounds where the shooting took place.
Report indicates local SWAT operator, not secret service, was the one who neutralized would-be Trump assassin.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/JhZrG6t4c9
— AF Post (@AFpost) August 20, 2024
On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a rally at the fairgrounds by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Republican voter from Pennsylvania, who was killed by Secret Service snipers who fired back at the shooter. The gunfire critically injured two other attendees and killed a local firefighter named Corey Comperatore.
In a preview video, the president discussed his current thoughts while being interviewed by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. He said: “Well, it was unforgettable, I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that.”
Doss said in an interview with The Mirror US, “I didn’t need to drive miles out of my way. But there’s something about being at the actual place.” “There was a desire to be at that place,” he added. The Dennisons stayed in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the night before and drove 100 miles west to Butler. Once there, Doss recorded a Facebook Live video outside the venue gates.
Sanding beside a sign marking the fairground, he said, “I’ve seen it. I’ve been here. This is where then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was almost assassinated,” he said. Doss compared the site’s historical essence to Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C, the famous location where former President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.
“Ford’s Theatre didn’t divide us further; it started healing us,” the MAGA superfan reflected. “When Trump stood up with blood on his ear and his fist raised in the air yelling ‘Fight!’ — that was iconic, whether you’re a Trump fan or not,”
Consequently, Doss, who also serves as a local pastor and a hardcore Conservative, also highlighted the instability in the political climate in America, increasing division not only between conservatives and liberals but also within the Republican and Democratic parties themselves. “There are cracks in the Republican base,” he observed. “But last year’s shooting really united the MAGA base. It even brought in people who were straddling the fence,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Wendell “Doss” Dennison, the true patriot, also believes the assassination attempt helped unite Donald Trump’s base and push him toward winning the presidency and coming back to power. Also, Doss said he loves Donald Trump, but supporting him does not mean agreeing with him unquestioningly. He said, “Trump made a lot of promises that resonated with Middle America,” he said. “But not all of them have landed well.”
In addition, he specifically pointed to Donald Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case files and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as issues that have complicated perceptions of Trump among his base. “There’s much work to do,” Doss admitted. “The work isn’t done — not by far.”
Attendees at the Bernie Sanders / AOC rally in Denver, Colorado, Calling for the Assisination of President Trump & JD Vance. Violence in the streets. Maybe @FBIDirectorKash @FBIDDBongino @HHSGov @SecRubio @KristiNoem should go to Colorado & find these people. pic.twitter.com/OfRbsPAQS9
— L.A 🇺🇲♥️ (@FACTMATTER2024) March 23, 2025
Yet, despite political differences, the Maine native maintains a neutral stance with people from the largest of the six New England States in the country. He tries to maintain a balance of opinion even with the anti-Trump group as he wishes to establish political awareness, which could lead to more Americans having a common political ground today to ultimately prevent unrest.
