Donald Trump's bloody face and raised fist are the new image of a tense, aggressive, at times controversial electoral campaign. Which proceeds without interruption.
Not even time to recover from the shock of the shooting at the Butler rally before Donald Trump returns to charge his followers : "I will never give up." And today he arrived in Milwaukee to participate in the Republican convention which on Thursday will officially crown him as candidate for the White House . He got off the plane raising his fist, in a gesture that has now become iconic: "I shouldn't be here, I should be dead," he told the New York Post on board the plane headed to Milwaukee.
Meanwhile, there is a storm over the agents of the Secret Service, the guardian angels of the Commander in Chief, the first lady and the former presidents, ready to put their bodies and, if necessary, even their lives in defense of their leaders. But something must have gone wrong in Butler if a twenty-year-old managed to evade surveillance and controls, move freely on rooftops, lurk and fire up to ten shots undisturbed in the direction of Donald Trump. “What scares us all is that if the bullet had come an inch further, it would have been an assassination. Trump certainly needs more protection: now we wonder if the services were fully prepared", goes on the attack Stephen Moore, senior advisor to the former president's campaign. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee is calling for an investigation and calling agency director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22. And President Joe Biden shares the request: «I have ordered an independent investigation into the work of the Secret Service», he announces from the White House.
The Secret Service, during the campaign stages of presidents and former ones, acts in agreement with the local police to secure the area of the rallies which also involve thousands of spectators, take place outdoors and last hours. In the meeting area, the Secret Service also deploys the Counter Sniper team (to respond to a sniper), the Counter Assault team (to counter an even greater danger) and a host of bodyguards. Initial media reports claim that the assassin was outside the security perimeter although very close to Trump and, many accuse, in an almost rural area with few buildings to sift through.
How is it possible that some protesters were able to see the sniper before the shooting but not the Secret Service? “They had no idea what was happening,” a witness told the BBC, adding that many present would have tried “desperately” to alert security to the presence of an armed man on the roof. The equipment of the agents on the other hand also seems to leave something to be desired. Shortly after the wounding, the former president was quickly surrounded by secret service personnel who initially covered the tycoon's head with their hands, but not with a protective shield.
The attack will certainly lead to a security review of Trump, and in the future, he will likely be provided a level of protection more similar to that of a sitting president. However, the clash between the Secret Service and the Republicans has already exploded. Florida Republican Rep. and Army veteran Mike Waltz said he had "very reliable sources" who told him there had been "repeated requests" for greater protection for Trump, apparently denied by Florida's Homeland Security secretary. Biden administration, Alejandro Mayorkas. «Absolutely false. Indeed, we have added protective resources, technology and capabilities,” countered agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
(Unioneonline/D)