The Secret Service has offered Donald Trump bulletproof glass for protection at any future outdoor rallies after the Republican presidential candidate narrowly survived an assassination bid in July, according to media reports.
Citing law enforcement sources, CBS News and ABC News said the Secret Service has made arrangements to provide Trump with bulletproof glass for outdoor events if he wants to use it, though this is typically reserved for sitting presidents.
On July 13, a gunman opened fire at a rally Trump was hosting in Butler, Pennsylvania, lightly wounding the former president in the ear and killing one attendee. The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by return fire from law enforcement. In the aftermath, the Secret Service said it took “full responsibility” for the incident and its director Kimberly Cheatle resigned.
The proposal to surround Trump’s podium with ballistic glass at future outside events was made by Cheatle as part of a package of new security measures after the assassination bid and before her resignation, according to CBS News.
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The New York Times reported that some of President Joe Biden’s personal Secret Service protection team have been transferred to protect Trump as a temporary measure due to perceived risk levels for the Republican candidate and the president’s reduced travel schedule.
Describing the ballistic glass to ABC News, Don Mihalek, formerly a senior Secret Service agent, said: “This isn’t just a piece of glass but a large, bulky and heavy armored glass that will require extensive logistics capability.”
Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said: “Ensuring the safety of our protectees is our highest priority,” but they declined to comment on specific measures for operational reasons.
Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign and the White House press office for comment via email on Friday outside of regular office hours.
Trump has held around a dozen campaign events since the assassination bid in Butler, but all of them were held indoors. He has expressed a desire to return to holding events outside as well.
Speaking at a rally at an indoor arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 31, Trump said: “They’d prefer that we be in an arena. I don’t know why. But we’re not giving up the outdoor rallies. You know, all those people that we had to turn away today, at an outdoor rally you can have.”
On August 7, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, held an outdoor rally at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which was attended by an estimated 15,000 people.
After photographs of the event were posted online, Trump claimed artificial intelligence had been used to make it seem like the attendance was higher than it actually was.
In a post on his Truth Social website Trump said: “Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!”
Face-checking body Snopes examined the photographs using AI-detection tools and concluded they were “likely photographed by someone and not created using an AI-generation tool.”
