Republicans are calling for Donald Trump’s security to be raised to the “highest level of presidential protection” following a second assassination attempt on his life.
The threat level against the former president is so high that the head of the US Secret Service has revealed that personnel changes are necessary if the Republican candidate wants to continue playing his favourite hobby, golf.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. met with the former president in Florida on Monday, a day after the alleged assassination attempt on Ryan Wesley Routh was thwarted while Trump was golfing at his Palm Beach course.
A Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of Routh’s rifle, 58, sticking out of the fence near the sixth hole and shot him, causing him to flee before he was apprehended by local police.
According to court documents, Routh shadowed Trump for nearly 12 hours before the assassination attempt, raising enormous security concerns.
Now, according to the New York Times, the head of the Secret Service told Trump that significant additional security measures and planning would be needed if he wanted to continue golfing safely.
The acting director of the Secret Service has reportedly told Donald Trump that changes must be made if he wants to continue playing golf safely after the assassination attempt.
This comes as Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday called for additional security measures for the Republican presidential nominee and former president.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans are preparing a bill for a vote this week that would require Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris to receive the same level of protection as President Biden.
Meanwhile, a group of seven Republican senators sent a letter to Rowe demanding increased security for the former president on Tuesday.
As Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall put it, they are calling for Trump to have “the same protections as a sitting president.”
“Simply put, President Trump does not have the Secret Service protective staff commensurate with the existing threat environment,” the letter, dated Sept. 17, states.
The letter praised officers for their actions Sunday after they were able to identify the rifle barrel protruding from the fence and take steps to protect the candidate before he could be harmed.
But he went on to say that more needs to be done to protect Trump.
“It is imperative that the USSS team assigned to President Trump be provided with additional protective resources, including increased staffing capabilities that would allow agents to secure a broader perimeter,” they wrote.
“These measures would better protect President Trump’s life and help alleviate concerns that additional attempts could occur,” they added.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, flanked by Senators Mike Lee (left) and Roger Marshall (right), call for additional Secret Service protections for former President Trump
Ryan Wesley Routh, the gunman accused of trying to kill Donald Trump on Sunday, appeared in federal court on Monday with his hands and feet shackled. Pictured: Police on Monday released an image of Routh’s arrest after he was able to flee 50 miles from the Trump International Golf Club
At a news conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Republican senators said Trump is not going to stop campaigning furiously and is not like other candidates.
“He’s going to do what he has to do, folks. We’re at DEFCON ONE and here at the Capitol the last few days, it doesn’t feel that way to me,” said Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
He said they need to “wake up and smell the roses,” adding: “We have to do something. Let’s not wait until it’s too late.”
Senator Mike Lee said anything other than “a level comparable to what the president normally enjoys” would be a “real error in judgment.”
Senate Majority Leader Schumer has signaled he’s open to additional funding for the Secret Service on Monday, but that could be a sticking point with Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“We don’t need more funding. We have 7,000 Secret Service agents right now. There are 100 Secret Service offices across the country,” Marshall said. “They have plenty of staff. They have plenty of money. They need to prioritize where to put these Secret Service agents,” Marshall said.
The gunman was positioned two holes down from where Trump was golfing on Sunday when the Secret Service fired in his direction. The hole is the area of the course closest to the road and presents the most “vulnerabilities,” according to people familiar with the course.
West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds a picture of Routh’s backpack, purse, GoPro and AK-47-style rifle that were left outside Trump International Golf Club on Sunday when he fled the scene when Secret Service opened fire.
Authorities said the gunman may have been at the scene for 12 hours.
Asked about the possibility that the gunman was there for so long, Tuberville said Tuesday that he had golfed with Trump there many times and that officers “were aware of everything.”
He argued that “it is almost impossible to protect 100 percent a guy like Donald Trump who is going to go out, who is going to hold rallies, who is going to play golf.”
The Republican senators who sent the letter are asking the Secret Service director to take action by September 27.