Americans were shocked by an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump earlier this month that left one of his supporters dead.

Although the Secret Service has reportedly told Trump to stop holding outdoor rallies, he is defying that order. 

Trump says "no one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech"

That's according to a report published by the Washington Post last week which cited unnamed sources who were said to be familiar with the matter.

While the article also cited another source as saying that Trump is planning to stick with speaking at indoor venues, the former president said otherwise in a social media post on Saturday.

"I WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUTDOOR RALLIES, AND SECRET SERVICE HAS AGREED TO SUBSTANTIALLY STEP UP THEIR OPERATION," Trump declared.

"THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF DOING SO. NO ONE CAN EVER BE ALLOWED TO STOP OR IMPEDE FREE SPEECH OR GATHERING!!!" he went on to add.

Meanwhile, Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi recently told the Daily Caller, "Ensuring the safety and security of our protectees is our highest priority."

Questions asked over why Trump shooter was able to use unsecured rooftop

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23 after Capitol Hill lawmakers grilled her over security lapses at the rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated.

Many questions focused on why the rooftop from which 20-year-old would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired his shots was left unsecured despite it being in close proximity to where Trump was speaking.

Trump shooting: the plan and the botched response https://t.co/8Mm8UCTIb5

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 26, 2024

Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee, and as Breitbart noted, its chairman was unimpressed with what she had to say.

Chair of House Oversight Committee had "no confidence" in Secret Service director

"At yesterday’s Oversight Committee hearing, Director Cheatle instilled no confidence that she has the ability to ensure the Secret Service can meet its protective mission," Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer was quoted as saying in a statement.

Comer highlighted the "egregious security failures" which "resulted in the assassination attempt of President Trump, the murder of an innocent victim, and harm to others in the crowd."

"While Director Cheatle’s resignation is a step toward accountability, we need a full review of how these security failures happened so that we can prevent them going forward," he went on to add.