Butler

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

By: Salena Zito

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

"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

True story/inspiring

The information in this book is exactly how it happened. I didn’t realize that Selena Zito was such a big part of Trumps story. Well written

A Must Read by Everone

This is an unbelievably fine book providing deep insight into past elections for prior 10 years as well as to future elections. It provides facts that you will not get elsewhere as to failures of democrats and coastal print and tv legacy media outlets as well as reasons for their continued refusal to recognize why the modern electorate has turned to alternate means of obtaining credible news

Small people heard!

Most people don’t understand (or even try) flyover country. So refreshing and hopeful! Over 150 days in I am still thrilled!

Pride for Trump, everthing he has gone through . How hard he works for America

Didn't drill down on Butler. More to that story I'm sure. But that really wasn't her purpose. She gave good journalist perspective.

Selena Get’s It

Selena keeps her fingers on the pulse of America. The “legacy media”would be wise to listen to her. But we know they won’t. It’s great to see her on multiple news outlets now.