Trump Identifies One 'Weakness' in His Secret Service Protection Amid Second Shooting Incident

Donald Trump escaped two shooting incidents in three months. The July 13 attempt left him injured in his right ear while the September 15 shooting was successfully prevented. However, it raises questions about the Secret Service's incompetence. So, where's the gap? It seems the Republican nominee has figured out what the agency should do to prevent a (God forbid) third attempt. 

In a conversation with Fox News's Sean Hannity on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, he said that he needs more security agents than he currently has in his protective detail. "We have long requested more people—more men and women—but more people. That's true. That's the weakness. If there's a weakness, I really think that's the weakness," as per Daily Mail. 

Although the first time, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired multiple shots at Trump, the agents couldn't locate him despite many signs that later emerged in the investigation. However, the second time when a man identified as Ryan Weasly Routh was waiting for the ex-president, a Secret Service timely spotted his gun's barrel and prevented the unthinkable. 

But, a second attempt has put more pressure on the United States' security agency. The threat is looming constantly and POTUS Joe Biden recognizes the need to provide more manpower. "The service needs more help. Congress should respond to their needs if they in fact need more service people," the 81-year-old said. 

In the wake of what could've been an assassination attempt, Trump informed everyone that he was safe. The former president was at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the gunman positioned himself. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Trump doesn't receive the same level of protection as a sitting president does. "If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded," as per BBC. 

Meanwhile, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, added that Trump's golf course trip wasn't planned. He also noted that agents were given little notice and the politician "wasn't even really supposed to go there, it was not on his official schedule." Despite this, Rowe said, "We put together a security plan, and that security plan worked," including the "increased assets" like snipers, counter-assault teams, and drones that Biden approved after the July shooting. 

However, Trump insisted in his interview that he'd continue to play golf despite the agency's advice that it's difficult to provide him security there. "I just said let's let's go play a quick round because it's all business for me. It's my only bit of a form of exercise, so I like it, just something that is good." 

An ex-agent weighed in on why it's such a challenge to protect Trump. Paul Eckloff, a Secret Service agent of 20 years, who worked with the Republican during his presidency, said, "It's dialed up. The amount of time he spends outside, the exuberance of his fan base, the number and size of rallies, and the lack of military support, does make it more difficult."