Donald Trump named limited manpower as a potential weakness in his security detail, after surviving two assassination attempts in nine weeks.
In a Fox News phone interview Wednesday evening, Trump praised Secret Service agents who thwarted the latest attempt on Sunday. Pushed by host Sean Hannity for his concerns, the Republican presidential candidate said: “We have long requested more people—more men and women—but more people.
Highlighting the size of his campaign rally crowds, he added: “There’s never been anything like it, and we have long requested more people. That’s true. That’s the weakness. If there’s a weakness, I really think that’s the weakness.”
The comments come after members of Trump’s Secret Service detail spotted a gunman by a bush-lined fence at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested and charged with gun offenses.
On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot and killed while attempting to assassinate Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump told Hannity: “I will say in Butler, we wanted more people. I heard them say it: ‘we need more people here,’ for security, and we never seem to get that. But I think we are getting it now, somebody told me.”
On Monday, President Joe Biden echoed Trump’s sentiment, telling reporters outside the White House that Congress should increase Secret Service resources. “Thank God the President [former President Trump] is OK,” he said. “One thing I want to make clear, the Secret Service needs more help. I think Congress should respond to their needs.”
This breaking news article will be updated.
Paul Sancya/AP Photo
