Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera
On October 5th, 2024, Former President, Donald Trump, returned to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of his first assassination attempt, to hold a campaign rally in the battleground state. This decision comes as a surprise to many considering that Trump has survived two assassination attempts in the last three months.
In the aftermath of these assassination attempts, the Secret Service has come under scrutiny by government officials and the public for its recent failures.
In an interview with Fox News, former first lady Melania Trump expressed her thoughts on the Secret Service saying, “The men with me and my husband are fantastic. But I feel it’s the top leadership; there are some holes and problems.”
When Trump first rallied in Butler, PA, on July 13th, no one could have predicted the violent turn the gathering would take. Just minutes into Trump’s speech, a 20-year old man named Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from the rooftop of a nearby building.
The bullets fired from Crooks’ AR-15 struck Trump’s right ear, left two attendees in critical condition, and killed a man named Corey Comperatore. As the scene unfolded, the crowd was left in a panicked frenzy, rushing to find cover in the venue.
It didn’t take long for Secret Service Agents to rush to Trump’s aid and in a matter of minutes, the Secret Service’s counter sniper team had killed the active assailant. However, the agents were still criticized for having not secured the building prior to the shooting.
According to CNN, a report done by the Homeland Security Committee states that, “Because of this breakdown in communication without a clear leader in charge, the Secret Service did not go into the building as part of their advance planning or sweep the building prior to the start of the rally.”
Additionally, the Secret Service would come under fire just two months later, after they failed to do a sweep of Trump’s golf club prior to his arrival, allowing for a second assassination attempt.
On September 15th, Secret Service agents assigned to the Trump International Golf Club, spotted a rifle sticking out of the bushes of the property and opened fire. The suspect, 58-year old Ryan Wesley Routh, fled the scene but was later detained and now faces life in prison.
Routh, a former Trump supporter, criticized him for “getting worse” and “devolving.” In a June 2020 Twitter post, Routh stated, “@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, [sic] I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment [sic] and it seems you are getting worse and devolving,” adding, “I will be glad when you gone.”
Though the Secret Service acted quickly under pressure, the second assassination attempt only pushed them further into the spotlight as people questioned their capabilities.
Trump’s decision to go back to Butler, PA, has put increasing pressure on the Secret Service. In fact, a federal official told CNN, there were “people on the roof,” and a “much higher security footprint” this time around. During the rally, Trump was also surrounded by ballistic glass, another precaution taken to avoid unexpected security breaches.
Moving forward, the Secret Service hopes to receive more funding from Congress to revamp their agency and overcome the challenges they have faced in recent months.
Ronald Rowe, Acting Director of the United States Secret Service, released the following statement on the agency’s official website:
“We thank Congress for addressing some of the U.S. Secret Service’s most immediate needs in this heightened threat environment. This short-term funding will better equip the U.S. Secret Service to enhance security measures in the months ahead. We look forward to working with Congress on full-year funding to deliver the additional personnel, technology, and equipment our workforce needs to do their jobs.”
Spartan Echo 