Butler

The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland

De: Salena Zito

Narrado por: Helen Wynn

“Salena Zito is the journalist who knows Trump—and his voters—better than anyone.” – The Free Press

From the acclaimed journalist standing only a few feet away from the stage when the gunshots began is this gripping first-hand account of the near assassination of Donald Trump–and the inside story of Trump’s heartland-fueled victory.

That day in Butler, had the wind gusted less, had Trump’s head turned in a slightly different direction, or had the adrenaline-fueled heart of the shooter beat slower, America would have been plunged into chaos, possibly even civil war. As a local reporter with deep ties to the area, Salena Zito had been invited by the president to interview him at the Butler Farm Show Grounds. She was standing only four feet away from the presidential podium when the bullets started to fly. A campaign staffer tackled her to the ground.

Throughout it all, Salena never stopped reporting. She spoke by phone to Trump several times in the immediate aftermath and was granted access to community members, rally participants, family members and local law enforcement officials. “I rarely look away from the crowd,” Trump told her in one of several of those conversations. “Had I not done that in that moment, well, we would not be talking today, would we?”

Known for her on-the-ground reporting on populism and rural America, Salena zooms out to tell the fascinating story of the battle for America’s heartland and the issues that actually motivate voters. To understand how and why Trump won the 2024 election, you have to understand places like Butler. Big cities like Los Angeles, New York, and D.C. don’t decide who wins election cycles, but people in places like Butler, Pennsylvania sure do. President Trump gave the author extraordinary access for this book, including to his top aides, to his running mate JD Vance, to billionaire supporter Elon Musk, and even his security detail.

There are moments that define America. The late afternoon hours of July 13, 2024 was one of them. This book is a narrative of that fateful day, the people of the heartland and the untold story of how the president found his way back into the heart of the electorate.

©2025 Salena Zito (P)2025 Center Street

Reseñas de la Crítica

"One of the most talented writers, a person who truly has the pulse of this area. Pennsylvania, and the Rust Belt in general. The Rust Belt is her territory."—President Donald J. Trump

"There isn't a journalist in America who gets everyday Americans like Salena Zito does. She puts the miles on her Jeep and wears down the soles of her boots to get the stories that her colleagues in the media ignore, and every page of this book shows it. A masterpiece of a narrative that explains why the 2024 election went the way it did."—Ainsley Earhardt

"This is a powerhouse of a book. Salena Zito is out there in the heartland, uncovering the truth about the 2024 fight for America's soul like only she can. This is vintage Zito, delivering the unfiltered pulse of the people with grit and brilliance--trust me, you won't put it down!"—Sean Hannity

Most Excellent Listen, more please.

This is an excellent listen which left me wanting more, more, more‼️It is my hope there will be a follow up, detailing the shooter, & Trump’s 47th presidency. This is a must read/listen for all America‼️

New Perspective

This an excellent book that tells the story from a completely new viewpoint. I highly recommend!

Awesome!

I love the way the author not only told the story of Butler but included background information and history. I highly recommend this book.

Loved it all

It was so flowy. Done to earth. I loved the relationship her and the president had and she was sweet.

Insider account of assassination attempt on President Trump and his 2024 Presidential victory.

Vividly and accurately described first hand account of the Butler assassination attempt and the subsequent 2024 reelection of DJT in 2024

Brilliant story telling

Miss Cito grab my attention immediately she retold the tale of what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania. I was amazed to learn that the father of our country. George Washington was almost assassinated in the same area. The story kept my interest throughout was extremely well written and well worth reading.

The Modern Press is Shooting itself in the Foot

Most of America is not represented by the press today. The big city press does not reflect nor understand what makes America tick. Conservative viewpoints are neither welcome nor understood. This book makes this crystal clear.

All politics are local - Zito gets that

This is an important perspective on how the Trump campaign was able to win 2024 by such a large margin. Zito has in interesting perspective as she grew close with Trump in covering him since 2016. She is the real deal as a journalist seeking to sort through what worked and didn’t work throughout the 2024 election cycle.

Excellent telling from someone who was there

I love the details from the perspective of someone who was there and the behind the scenes stuff that not many get to see and experience! I wish more people had the intellectual curiosity to see Trump and Vance the way they really are... warm, genuine, caring people, instead of the hateful monsters that the leftwing media paints them as while trying to convince us all that their candidates are the genuine ones when anyone who sees them off camera knows differently.

Fantastic Book

100% accurate accounting and recollection of the events immediate and tangential to THE Butler rally. I enjoyed her point of view