Trump says he's 'always worried' about security at rallies, claims White House is making Secret Service's job 'very difficult'
After narrowly avoiding two assassination attempts in two months, former President Donald Trump is well aware that his life is in danger by those who stand vehemently and violently opposed to his re-election campaign.
During a recent interview, Trump acknowledged that he is "always worried" about the level of safety for himself and others at his large campaign rallies, the New York Post reported.
The former president also repeatedly accused the current occupants of the White House of interfering with and making it "very difficult" for the U.S. Secret Service to provide adequate security for his elevated needs, which has resulted in at least one of his planned rallies being relocated from a preferred venue.
Trump prepares for return to site of first assassination attempt
In July, former President Trump's ear was grazed by the bullet of a would-be assassin at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the shooter seriously wounded two rally-goers and killed a third before he was put down by a Secret Service countersniper.
Just two months later, while golfing at his private course in South Florida, Secret Service agents foiled another would-be assassin who was waiting to ambush Trump with a rifle.
"Well, I’m always worried," Trump told a NewsNation reporter when asked about security concerns amid his plans to return to Butler for another rally. "I think that the White House isn’t treating us very good. I get crowds that are ten times bigger than anybody else, 20 times bigger than anybody else, and we’re entitled to security."
"The White House makes it very difficult," he continued of his campaign's efforts to ensure there is sufficient security at his events. "We had something in Wisconsin last week, we would’ve had 60,000 people, but they couldn’t provide us with the security."
"It’s very unfair the way we’ve been treated. And we have to get better security. It’s really being led more so by the White House than anybody else," Trump added, and said that while Secret Service agents were "doing a good job," they were "only allowed to do what the White House is letting them do."
Planned rally moved to smaller venue due to lack of security
NewsNation reported last week that the Trump campaign had planned a massive outdoor rally at an airport in Wisconsin but were forced to move the event to a much smaller indoor venue after the Secret Service said they would be unable to fully secure the original location.
"The agency was never configured to provide such an elevated level of protection for an increasing number of protectees. Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo," an unnamed senior Secret Service official said. "This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level."
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi insisted, "Former President Donald Trump is receiving heightened levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and our top priority is mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times," and added, "Out of concern for operational security, we cannot provide specific details about resources allocated for event security or communications between agency personnel and our protectees."
Congress passed bill to boost Trump's Secret Service protection
Meanwhile, NBC News reported last month that both the House and Senate unanimously passed a bill that would require, with some discretion, the Secret Service to provide the same level of protection for major presidential candidates as they do for the sitting president and vice president.
The passage of that bill, which President Joe Biden signed into law on Tuesday, according to the Post, comes as Congress is also considering bolstering the Secret Service's budget with an additional $200+ million for the next fiscal year.
The Post noted that former President Trump, in his NewsNation interview, said that the recently passed bill to boost his Secret Service protection was "the first unanimous vote I can remember in Congress."