As gunshots rang out during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, Secret Service agents quickly formed a protective circle around the former president and escorted him off the platform to a waiting vehicle.
The shooter, who was killed immediately after the attack, was a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles south of the rally site in Butler. He had positioned himself on a factory rooftop approximately 130 yards from the Butler Showgrounds and fired a number shots at President Trump, with one bullet grazing Trump’s right ear.
A former fire chief who was attending the rally with his family was killed in the shooting. Two other rally attendees were also critically wounded.
The Security Challenge of Open-Air Venues
Brian Gant, a former Secret Service agent who was active during the Obama administration, told The Epoch Times that the agents’ primary focus would be to seal off the area and remove Trump from danger immediately.“Open-air rallies present significant security challenges, especially during a campaign year,” said Mr. Gant. “The advance team evaluates the event space to provide the best protection possible.”
Mr. Gant, currently an Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity at Maryville University in Saint Louis, Missouri, asserts that despite these measures, open-air events inherently carry more risk than indoor venues. The recent incident with former President Trump demonstrates that even with extensive precautions, determined attackers may still find opportunities.
“My first reaction when I saw the video was that I would have been surprised if a weapon was in the immediate vicinity,” said Mr. Gant. “The shot came from outside the security perimeter. Snipers usually do a great job seeing those people who seem out of place.”
Mr. Gant expressed interest in the upcoming investigation, suggesting it will provide important insights into the incident and potentially inform future security measures.
‘Let Me Get My Shoes’
Jeff James, a retired Secret Service agent who rose to the rank of assistant special agent in charge, told The Epoch Times that the agents train for moments like the attempted assassination of the 45th president. He said that the Secret Service agents should have gotten President Trump into the armored car sooner.“They put a wall of flesh and body armor between him and any other threat that may have come,” said Mr. James. “The agents did that perfectly.”
After the shooting, President Trump was seen grabbing his right ear with his hand and then looking at it before dropping to his knees behind the protective podium. When he emerged about a minute later, his red “Make America Great Again” hat had been knocked off his head.
President Trump then says, “Wait, wait. Let me get my shoes.”
Mr. James warns that those few seconds could have been the difference between life and death.
“I would have said ‘no,’ we’re moving now,’” said Mr. James. “If those initial shots were a distraction and there were four more people with guns, and now here comes the real attack, those extra five seconds could have been deadly. We wouldn’t have stopped for shoes, fist pumps, or anything else.”
Mr. James noted that the assassination attempt is the first legitimate attack on the life of a president since President Ronald Reagan was shot as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington on March 30, 1981.
“This moment in history is significant,” said Mr. James. “President Trump was half an inch away from losing his life. If this assassination attempt would have been successful, I don’t know who the Republicans would have put on stage this week at the convention.”
Advance Security Failure
While Tim Miller, a 30-year law enforcement and military professional, agrees with many of his fellow agents, he said there was a glaring hole in the security detail. Mr. Miller, who now leads Lionheart International Services, characterized the incident as a “big miss” by the Secret Service, suggesting significant oversights in the security arrangements.“Agents need to consider every possible threat,“ he told The Epoch Times. ”It’s a problem that a building that was less than 150 yards away didn’t surface possible security vulnerabilities.”
Mr. Miller, who served under presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, says that, unfortunately, former presidents don’t receive the same level of security as sitting presidents.
“With President Trump breaking all the molds, it should have been clear he needed more security given the current political environment.”
Following the shooting, President Joe Biden said in a press conference Sunday that security measures for the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee have been significantly enhanced.
The RNC is proceeding with its planned event from July 15–18. Over 4,000 law enforcement officers will be present, including 1,600 from the Milwaukee Police Department, 800 from other Wisconsin agencies, and 1,600 from out-of-state agencies. The Wisconsin National Guard has also been activated.
