The misspelling of hero ex-fire chief Corey Comperatore‘s surname on the jacket that former US President Donald Trump showcased during his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night sparked outrage, but a source confirmed to The Post that the firehouse itself was responsible for the error, not the president.
Comperatore, a 50-year-old who sacrificed his life to protect his family when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, had his 11-letter last name missing the letter A on the back of the emblematic firefighting gear.
Trump not only brought the fallen supporter’s jacket but also his helmet, which he later kissed in a moving gesture while accepting the Republican Party’s nomination.
Aaron Newborn clarified the situation on Twitter, responding to critics who accused the president of making an insensitive mistake, saying, “His last name wouldn’t fit on the coat, so he had the A removed to make it fit.”
Helen Comperatore, the “devastated” widow of the hero, as described by Trump in his speech, revealed to The Post earlier this week that she declined to take a call from President Biden following her husband’s murder.
“I didn’t talk to Biden,” the mother-of-two said from her Pennsylvania home on Monday. “I didn’t want to talk to him. My husband was a devout Republican, and he would not have wanted me to talk to him.”
Corey Comperatore served as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company for about two years, approximately 20 years ago, before stepping back to prioritise his family, although he continued to be an active firefighter.
Randy Reamer, the company president and a 15-year veteran, spoke to The Post the day after the rally, praising Comperatore, “He was one of them guys you wanted to go into a fire with, cause you knew you were coming back out. S–t hit the fan, and you were coming back out with him.”
During his speech on Thursday night, an emotional Trump paid tribute to Comperatore, saying, “What a fine man he was,” before requesting the audience to observe “a moment of silence in honor of our friend Corey.”