(AFP) – Presidential candidate Donald Trump said Saturday he will return to holding outdoor rallies with additional Secret Service protection, two weeks after he was injured in an assassination attempt at an open-air campaign event.
“I will continue to do outdoor rallies, and the Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation. They are very capable of doing so,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “No one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech or gathering,” he added.
His remarks came after the Secret Service reportedly encouraged Trump’s campaign to stop scheduling outdoor campaign events following his assassination attempt, opting instead for large indoor arenas. Trump was wounded when a 20-year-old gunman shot at him during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, killing one person and injuring two others.
The FBI confirmed on Friday that Trump was hit by a bullet, or a fragment of one — putting to rest questions over the nature of the injury to his right ear. Investigators are still working to establish a motive for the attack, which marked another stunning chapter in the US election race and sparked heavy criticism of the Secret Service.
Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday after acknowledging that the agency had failed in its mission of protecting high-profile politicians. She told a congressional committee that the Secret Service was alerted “two to five times” ahead of the attack about a “suspicious individual” at the rally, but was unable to locate him before he opened fire. Perched on the roof of a nearby building, he was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper less than 30 seconds after firing the first of eight shots.
Trump has made the shooting a key part of his campaign pitch, telling supporters that he “took a bullet for democracy” and vowing to return to Butler for a “big and beautiful rally.” On Saturday, the Republican and his running mate JD Vance were scheduled to hold a campaign event at an indoor, 6,000-seat hockey arena in the midwestern US state of Minnesota. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris — who is on track to become the Democratic nominee — was set to attend a fundraising event in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
© 2024 AFP
