The outrage over a spelling mistake on heroic former fire chief Cory Comperatore’s jacket, which former President Donald Trump brought to the stage to deliver his Thursday night speech at the Republican National Convention, was misplaced and was made by the fire department itself, sources confirmed to The Washington Post.
Comperatore, who was killed shielding his family when 20-year-old wannabe assassin Thomas Crooks shot and killed President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, has an 11-letter last name that is missing the “A” on the back of his iconic firesuit.
Trump brought the actual jacket and helmet of a slain supporter to his Republican nomination acceptance ceremony, and emotionally kissed the headgear afterwards.
Former President Trump brought onto the stage the helmet and jacket of heroic firefighter Corey Comperatore during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, and held a moment of silence for the victims of the rally shooting. Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockCorey Comperatore was killed Saturday when gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. AP
“His last name wouldn’t fit on the coat so they dropped the A to make it fit,” Aaron Newborn tweeted in response to one of the many critics accusing the president of making a vulgar mistake.
Actually… that’s his real coat. His last name wouldn’t fit on the coat so they dropped the A to make it fit.
This is from Sunday. pic.twitter.com/y4UWaAIgVN
— Aaron Newborn (@_Aaron_Newborn) July 19, 2024
The widow of the 50-year-old hero, whom Trump described as “devastated” in his speech, told The Washington Post this week that he refused to take calls from President Biden after the murder.
“I didn’t talk to Biden,” Helen Comperatore, a mother of two, said Monday from her home in Pennsylvania. “I didn’t want to talk to him. My husband is a staunch Republican and I don’t think he would have wanted me to talk to him.”
The widow of the 50-year-old hero, whom Trump described as “devastated” in his speech, told The Washington Post this week that he refused to take calls from President Biden after the murder. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock President Trump even kissed his helmet onstage before beginning his speech. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After serving as chief of the Buffalo Township Fire Department for a few years about 20 years ago, Corey Comperatore scaled back his position to prioritize his family, but continued as an active firefighter.
“He was the type of guy that you wanted to go to a fire with because you knew if there was a fire you’d be out there with him,” Randy Reamer, the company’s president and a 15-year veteran, told The Washington Post the day after the rally. “Something terrible happened, but I knew I’d be out there with him.”
“He was just a wonderful man,” an emotional Trump said Thursday night, before asking the audience to “hold a moment of silence in honor of my friend Corey.”