Former President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of interfering with his 2024 campaign by failing to provide adequate Secret Service protection.
The New York Post reported that Trump believes this shortage has affected the turnout at his rallies, citing security concerns that have led to rallygoers being turned away. His allegations come amidst an ongoing discussion about the increased threats to his safety during the 2024 election cycle.
In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump expressed his frustrations, particularly following a rally in Wisconsin over the weekend. Trump claims the lack of security resources is a direct result of Democratic efforts to sabotage his campaign.
The former president alleged that Democrats were deliberately withholding Secret Service personnel, leading to logistical issues and lower attendance numbers.
He highlighted that a rally in Erie, Pa., saw a significant number of attendees who could not be accommodated due to security constraints. Trump emphasized that 50,000 people had arrived, but the event was affected by Secret Service redeployments to the United Nations, particularly for the protection of foreign heads of state, including Iran's president.
Trump also expressed his concerns over the size of his crowd at the Prairie du Chien indoor rally in Wisconsin, where rallygoers were allegedly turned away due to insufficient Secret Service coverage. The former president believes this is part of a broader Democratic strategy to disrupt his campaign, calling it “election interference.”
“We need more Secret Service, and we need them NOW,” Trump wrote, attributing the smaller turnout to inadequate security.
He further suggested that Democrats were using Secret Service personnel for their own purposes despite smaller crowd sizes at their events. "With the weak crowd participation that the Democrats get, there should be plenty 'left over' for the Republican Party," Trump remarked.
Concerns about Trump's safety have been amplified as his 2024 campaign progresses, with several assassination attempts made against the former president. In July, during a rally in Butler, Pa., a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, resulting in the death of one person and the injury of two others.
The gunman, identified as Matthew Thomas Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service countersniper. This incident highlighted the dangers Trump faces on the campaign trail.
In another instance, a Secret Service agent thwarted an assassination attempt by Ryan Wesley Routh at Trump International Golf Club on September 15. Routh was found in possession of an SKS semiautomatic rifle and a note detailing his plans to assassinate Trump.
Although Routh has pleaded not guilty, the event has raised significant security concerns. Investigations into these attempts, and others potentially linked to foreign threats, are ongoing.
In response to the rising threats, Congress passed the Enhanced Presidential Security Act, which aims to increase Secret Service protection for top presidential contenders like Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
This legislation ensures that these candidates receive the same level of security as President Joe Biden. Furthermore, Congress has approved $231 million in additional funding for the Secret Service to address the growing need for protection amid escalating political violence and threats.
The strain on Secret Service resources was recently exacerbated by their responsibilities at the United Nations assembly, where protection for foreign heads-of-state took priority.
Trump noted this issue during his Erie, Pa., rally, stating, “They said they couldn’t get us enough people because they were guarding the United Nations, and Iran, the president of Iran is here.”
In addition to criticizing the allocation of Secret Service resources, Trump has also expressed frustration over the Harris-Biden administration’s handling of legal charges against Routh.
While initial charges were brought against Routh after his assassination attempt, Trump argued that the administration’s response was insufficient. Prosecutors later added further charges to the case.
The ongoing security challenges, coupled with the political tension surrounding Trump’s rallies, continue to shape the 2024 presidential race. The former president’s allegations of election interference, particularly in relation to Secret Service staffing, reflect broader concerns about the fairness of the electoral process and the safety of high-profile candidates.
With ongoing investigations into assassination attempts and foreign threats, the issue of security is likely to remain a central topic as the campaign progresses.
