Following a number of disturbing incidents with former President Donald Trump, the sufficiency of protection provided by the U.S. Secret Service has come under question. The agency has scaled up its security protocols after two such assassination attempts within such a very short period, raising questions over how many agents are really detailed to protect Trump and how he feels about the latest threats.
Recent assassination attempts
The need for increased security became apparent with a recent incident at the golf club of Trump at West Palm Beach, Florida. “All of a sudden we heard shots fired into the air, probably four or five,” said Trump recounting the incident while he was enjoying a round of golf with friends. The incident came just two months after another assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wherein Trump was shot in the ear by an assailant armed with an AR-15-style rifle. One life was lost, and several attendees were injured in that earlier attempt.
The agents with the Secret Service identified, within a very short period, that the source of the gunfire was a rifle barrel sticking out of some bushes. A Secret Service agent returned fire in his direction, and the suspect ran away but was caught after just a few minutes due to a civilian writing down the suspected car’s information. Ryan Wesley Routh had been hanging around on the outskirts of this golf course for hours prior to the incident.
The role of the Secret Service
The United States Secret Service has the mandate to protect incumbent and former presidents, their families, as well as major presidential candidates. For now, there are at least 36 people who receive daily protection under the agency. This would include former presidents like Trump, who is entitled to protection for life. Budgetary constraints and agency staffing have raised concerns, however, over whether Trump’s security detail matches the increased threats he has received since his re-election campaign.
The acting director, Ronald Rowe Jr., added that although Trump now receives high-level protection similar to what he enjoyed as president, there are challenges due to limited resources. He noted that agents are “red-lining” with the demands put on them during election seasons. Critics have called for more agents to be assigned to Trump’s detail in light of recent events underscoring vulnerabilities in his security arrangements.
Trump on his security needs
Right after the shooting at his golf club, Trump praised the quick action of the Secret Service. He said, “They did an excellent job.” He even went on to praise the people responsible for keeping him safe. However, he emphasized that there was a dire need for more security manpower during his rallies and public events since his rallies are always flooded with many viewers sometime as much as 50,000 people.
This dire need for an increase in personnel on his security detail was brought to light by Trump himself in a conversation with President Joe Biden right after the incident. Trump acknowledged how nice Biden was; he spoke with him over the matter at hand, adding that “we definitely need more personnel” for his protection in case there might be aggressions against him.
Security detail on Trump’s future
As both assassination attempts are still under investigation, there is vibrant debate on how best to protect not only Trump but also all vulnerable political figures in today’s increasingly volatile political climate. The legislators of the two parties have sought to give more resources to the Secret Service to make sure that it can provide appropriate protection to all those who fall under its care.
With such developments, it’s pretty obvious that the Secret Service would need to revamp their strategies and resources with evolving threats. For Trump, not only will their sufficiency in offering protection be crucial, but also retaining the people’s confidence in the safety of the political events which are going to gain momentum as election season arrives.
