The attack on Donald Trump raised questions about how to protect the Republican presidential candidate in the media and why the protection was evident in Saturday’s rally.
Although information about the incident remains scarce, at least one person interviewed by the BBC said that they tried to alert the police and the US secret service, without success, about the apparent ringleader and -climb to the nearby roof, outside the party’s safe. Made in Butler, Pennsylvania. As a former president and Republican presidential candidate, Trump is well protected by the Secret Service.
At many of Trump’s campaign stops, local police officers help secure the scene. Representatives from other Department of Homeland Security agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, sometimes assist.
It is not an easy task. Many of Trump’s protests gather thousands of spectators, take place outdoors and last for hours.
Prior to this event, officials were checking the grounds for bombs or other threats, and Trump always arrived in a fortified vehicle. Law enforcement builds a barricade around and requires all attendees to pass through a metal detector to enter the building. Armed security officers check the bags and even the wallets of all participants. Many participants in the protest were beaten.
Saturday’s attack, however, appears to have been carried out by a gunman outside the shelter, according to earlier media reports. A local resident who was at Saturday’s event, who asked not to be identified, said he saw about two Secret Service agents on a nearby rooftop before the event. He said the police used binoculars to survey the area beforehand. They continued to look to the left, behind the scenes, before Trump took office. They seem to have focused on this area, said the attendee. Secret Service officials said shortly after the shooting that it had opened an investigation and notified Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, though the agency did not immediately respond to requests for further details about its policy.
Pennsylvania State Police referred questions to undercover agents, which did not immediately respond. Recently when Trump was injured, the president was quickly shot by Secret Service agents who formed a human shield, while armed police officers who were armed with guns and carried guns, also fired at the scene. then go out and scan the area for threats.
The officials escorted Trump into a black SUV and took him to a local hospital, according to the campaign.