President Donald Trump issued a heartfelt tribute Thursday night following the tragic death of Jim Copenhaver, the 76-year-old patriot who, more than two years ago, was shot twice during the horrific 2024 assassination attempt targeting Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Copenhaver, a true American hero, passed away from complications stemming from the injuries that plagued him until his final days.
Trump hailed Copenhaver as a "true American Patriot" and mourned his passing as a "tremendous loss." While Copenhaver bravely survived the initial bullets that ripped through his body in Butler, the damage was permanent. Bullet fragments remained embedded within him, and he and his wife had courageously taken on the federal government, suing over the glaring security failures that paved the way for the heinous attack.
The former president's powerful statement underscored the unwavering spirit of Copenhaver and the America First movement he so proudly represented:
"Jim Copenhaver, a true American Patriot, has passed away — A tremendous loss! More than two years ago in Butler, Pennsylvania, a crazed gunman attempted to stifle our America First Movement. Instead, Jim and so many other wonderful Patriots who love our Country, stood united in defense of our shared values of Freedom, Liberty, and Justice.
After being wounded while protecting his family, Jim showed tremendous bravery, courageously continuing to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, and maintaining a positive spirit despite unimaginable hardships."
Trump emphasized that Copenhaver's "indelible legacy of love and devotion will forever endure" and extended prayers to the Copenhaver family, with a special mention for his devoted wife, Marianne.
Copenhaver's passing was announced earlier Thursday; he died Wednesday at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. While the family's statement did not specify the direct cause, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday confirmed that Copenhaver succumbed "from complications stemming from those wounds."
On that fateful day, July 13, 2024, Thomas Crooks unleashed gunfire from a rooftop overlooking Trump's campaign rally. Copenhaver was hit twice – once in the tricep, and again in the abdomen. He endured multiple surgeries, but the bullet fragments remained, a constant, painful reminder of the attack.
Copenhaver later recounted the harrowing moment he realized he was under fire:
“I turned around to my friend, and I said, ‘I think I was shot,’ and that’s when I got the second one and then I went down.”
Despite his severe injuries, Copenhaver's resolve never wavered. When he later spoke publicly about the Butler attack, he placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of those responsible for the unforgivable security lapses that left the rooftop exposed to the shooter, Crooks.
“I’m sure there was negligence. It wouldn’t have happened, had it been secure.”
These critical security failures eventually led Copenhaver and his wife to sue the federal government in June, detailing the injuries from the shooting as “debilitating, grievous, permanent and life-altering.”
Jim Copenhaver was not the only one who paid a heavy price that day. Corey Comperatore, a retired volunteer fire chief, was tragically killed while shielding his wife and daughters. David Dutch was critically wounded. Even President Trump was struck in the ear before Secret Service agents heroically rushed him from the stage.
Trump concluded his poignant tribute to Copenhaver with three words that have become synonymous with the courage displayed in Butler and the indomitable spirit of the America First movement:
“FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT.”
This time, those powerful words were for Jim Copenhaver, a patriot who embodied the fight for freedom and who will forever be remembered for his unwavering spirit in the face of tyranny and government negligence. His legacy stands as a stark reminder that true American patriots will never back down, and accountability for those who fail to protect them must be relentlessly pursued.
