Trump Was ‘3 Minutes From Death’ Due to Secret Service Negligence: Ex-Air Force Official

Donald Trump survived a deadly attack during his Butler rally when a gunman allegedly attempted to assassinate him. In an exclusive word with The U.S. Sun, during the RNC Convention in Milwaukee, ex-Air Force official Darrell Smith shared that in his opinion, Trump was 'three minutes from death.'

The military veteran explained, "You got about three minutes of a guy that said 'I saw a guy with a rifle climb on the roof,' and no one told him about it. I've been in several military operations and three minutes means life and death, and we're just very lucky that Trump didn't lose his life."

Sharing his disdain for the recruitment process, Smith shared, "I've actually ridden with the Secret Service when I was in uniform and now as a volunteer, supporting some of Trump's movements around the country. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (the DEI policy) are not what you need. You need people who are qualified and loyal to the president. You need to know who you're working within any operation." Reiterating the lack of dexterity in the field, he added, "I think what you saw with the guy who was able to sneak on top of a roof is possibly because you had unqualified people not doing surveillance of the area."

Continuing to express his regret over the transpiration of the supposed 'domestic terror' violence, Smith said, "I mean I'm a retired Air Force guy, I would have had drones in the area, surveilling the air, and you would have easily seen somebody on the rooftop, not just at ground level, and they obviously weren't doing that." Still, appreciating the RNC event, he added, "It's a freaking lovefest in there, it's a great event. It's my first convention, but it's the right time for me to be here." 

Another veteran, Paul McNamara, from Florida at the event commented on the shooting incident: "The key to security is having a very tight plan, understanding what your vulnerabilities are, what your strengths are. What happened the other night is inexcusable, it should never have happened. Anybody with any tactical sense knows how that should have been covered."

Meanwhile, Kimberly A. Cheatle, the Secret Service Director, stated, "The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service. It was unacceptable, and it’s something that shouldn’t happen again," taking full responsibility for the incident as reported by The New York Times. Cheatle was previously employed as Senior Director for PepsiCo’s North American operations in 2019. She was responsible for safely transporting goods from the warehouse by air and land and providing security to the corporate executives, after which she was appointed to Secret Services by President Biden. 

Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, also chimed in with his POV on the representation debate, saying, "There is absolutely a need for female agents because security details have to represent the communities in which protectees live and travel in."