Online leftists tried to create a “gotcha” moment for former President Donald Trump during his speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night, but it didn’t work.
During his speech, the GOP presidential nominee spoke for the first time about the assassination attempt during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
For much of the speech, Trump spoke of the man who was killed in the shooting, retired firefighter Corey Comperatore from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania.
On stage with him was a memorial to Comperatore with a fire helmet and jacket.
Trump kisses the uniform of his supporter, Corey Comperatore, who was killed at his rally on Saturday pic.twitter.com/pzAuSrqfA4
— jordan (@JordanUhl) July 19, 2024
Where the leftists thought they had caught Trump and his fellow Republicans was on the spelling of Comperatore’s name — the firefighter’s jacket onstage appeared to spell his name “Compertore.”
Many leaped to their keyboards to point this out on social media.
“The RNC spelled Comperatore’s name incorrectly in what was supposed to be a respectful memorial of a hero,” one commenter wrote.
The RNC spelled Comperatore’s name incorrectly in what was supposed to be a respectful memorial of a hero pic.twitter.com/PeqfAB0o17
— Dr. Amy Cooter (@AmyCooter) July 19, 2024
“A prime example of how completely idiotic these people are…they spelled his name wrong,” another posted.
A prime example of how completely idiotic these people are…they spelled his name wrong ????????
It’s Corey Comperatore. pic.twitter.com/iHTwoHmDWX
— Mike Creef (@MikeCreef) July 19, 2024
“THEY SPELLED COREY COMPERATORE’s LAST NAME WRONG AT THE RNC lol,” another wrote.
THEY SPELLED COREY COMPERATORE’s LAST NAME WRONG AT THE RNC lol pic.twitter.com/vXGuwlYSl5
— st. vincent-st. marys grad (@StVincentGrad23) July 19, 2024
As it turns out, however, those criticisms appear to be misplaced.
Yazmin Rodriguez, a reporter for WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, shared a photograph of Comperatore’s gear displayed by the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department the day after his death.
The Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department is displaying Corey Compertore’s gear outside the station @wtae pic.twitter.com/NJWr8o40LE
— Yazmin Rodriguez (@yrodriguezwtae) July 14, 2024
The name on that jacket is spelled the same as the one on stage with Trump.
Therefore, it appears all but certain that the fire jacket on stage was the real deal.
Perhaps those online commenters should have done a little more research before using this to mock Trump and the GOP.
All they did was make themselves look like heartless fools attacking the survivor of a shooting over how he chose to honor a fellow victim who did not survive.