Well, that didn’t take long. Less than a week after former President Donald Trump’s team seemed to acquiesce to a Secret Service request to forego outdoor rallies, it appears he will once again hold events out in the open.
The former president, in yet another all-caps post on Truth Social, declared that the Secret Service will “step up” its efforts to protect him.
I WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUTDOOR RALLIES, AND SECRET SERVICE HAS AGREED TO SUBSTANTIALLY STEP UP THEIR OPERATION. THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF DOING SO. NO ONE CAN EVER BE ALLOWED TO STOP OR IMPEDE FREE SPEECH OR GATHERING!!!
A gunman on July 13 shot the former president in an attempt to assassinate him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Secret Service fell under scrutiny for failing to prevent Thomas Matthew Crooks from opening fire during the event, grazing Trump in his right ear, and killing a rallygoer while injuring two others. The shooter had been spotted by other rallygoers who warned law enforcement. A Secret Service sniper shot and killed the would-be assassin shortly after he opened fire.
The Secret Service reportedly asked Trump to refrain from outdoor events and to hold his rallies at indoor venues instead.
The former president announced recently in a different post on Truth Social that he would be holding another rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the town where the attempted assassination happened, as RedState’s Ward Clark reported.
Donald Trump may or may not know when to flinch, but in something that may be even more important, he knows when not to flinch. On Friday, on his social media platform Truth Social, the former president announced that he will be returning to hold another rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That’s right – he’s returning to the same town that was the scene of the attempt on President Trump’s life, although it is as yet unknown if he will speak at the same location:
Former President Trump said he plans to hold a campaign rally in the same Pennsylvania town where he was shot earlier this month in a failed assassination attempt.
Trump was shot near the ear in Butler while speaking to supporters. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
“I WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. “WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS.”
Trump’s proclivity for capital letters notwithstanding, this is an interesting campaign move – and it’s a lot more than just him holding another of his trademark rallies.
There could have been little doubt that Trump would go back to his outdoor rallies which, as Clark pointed out, are his trademark. The events have been a hallmark of Trump’s political career ever since he first started campaigning in the 2016 race. It would be quite odd if he did not continue to hold outdoor rallies.
