Secret Service urges Trump campaign to stop outdoor rallies - WP

Secret Service officials have encouraged Donald Trump's campaign to stop planning large outdoor rallies and other crowded events after the assassination attempt on the former president in Butler, Pennsylvania, citing people familiar with the situation, The Washington Post reports, according to UNN.

Details

According to three people familiar with the situation, after the shooting, Secret Service agents informed Trump's campaign advisers of their concerns about upcoming large outdoor rallies.

For future events, the Trump team is looking for indoor venues such as basketball arenas and other large spaces that can accommodate thousands of people, according to people familiar with the request. According to a person close to Trump, the campaign is not currently planning any large outdoor events.

According to campaign advisers, indoor rallies are more expensive. But one campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private plans, said that indoor events are inherently safer because it is easier to control who passes through a limited number of doors and there are fewer line-of-sight issues.

The Secret Service has long considered rallies to be burdensome because they involve complex outdoor venues with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people. Most other former presidents rarely make public appearances, and when they do, they are usually at conferences and restaurants with fewer people. Trump needs much more security control than other past presidents because he holds so many large events, the publication points out.

Agents usually arrive in advance and draw up a security plan for large open areas.

In early 2024, Trump's advisers told the Secret Service that they planned to hold major events regularly and would need more and more protection and resources, according to a person familiar with the conversation. But the two sides often quarreled over resources, with requests from Trump's representatives being denied by the Secret Service.

Addendum

Director of the US Secret Service Kimberly Cheadle resigned on Tuesday after the assassination attempt, telling staff she was taking "full responsibility," according to a copy of a letter sent to agency employees.