Photo: Alamy
Two months after the first near fatal assassination attempt of President Donald Trump during a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, he faced another assassination attempt on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, leading to calls for increased security from Republican leaders.
Lone gunman Ryan Routh reportedly hid in the bushes at the golf club with a clear aim at Trump with a scope-mounted rifle approximately 400 yards from Trump.
“The Secret Service needs to go back to the Department of Treasury where did they did much better, what happened in Pennsylvania was a complete breakdown of the system, we are so fortunate and lucky they did not kill President Trump,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wrote following the Sunday assassination attempt.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called for increased security for Trump following the latest incident.
“President Trump needs the most coverage of anyone,” Johnson said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
“He’s the most attacked, he’s the most threatened, even probably more than when he was in the Oval Office. So, we are demanding in the House that he have every asset available, and we will make more available if necessary. I don’t think it’s a funding issue. I think it’s manpower allocation,” he added.
Vivek Ramaswamy also posted on X, calling for “Secret Service to IMMEDIATELY step up its protection for President Trump to the *same* level they provide to Biden, there’s no excuse not to at this point. But there’s also a deeper sickness in our country that we need to cure.”
The two assassination attempts now raise doubts about whether the Secret Service can protect Trump in the future. During the post-incident news conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Rich Bradshaw confirmed the lack of heightened Secret Service presence compared to the sitting president, according to Newsmax.
New York Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy also posted on X, demanding President Joe Biden to provide Trump “the same security levels that would be issued to a sitting President of the United States. Enough is Enough.”