US - Shots fired at Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania as former president is seen with blood across his face, 13 July 2024

[Simply Southern]

Here's an article from the 2016 campaign, in which Mr. Trump's overlapping campaign security apparatus is described by a knowlegeable source as "extensive to the point of looking dysfunctional."

I'm looking for more recent articles on Trump's fascination with private security and the issue whether the public should be paying for it. Hope this will get your inquiry going!

He did have private security before he was president. At 120 days prior to the election, candidates are protected by SS.

Former presidents and their spouse are entitled by law to taxpayer funded secret service protection.
Public Law 89-186.

I know it can be a bit confusing. He and his spouse are entitled to SS protection, his children and other family members would need private security and are not covered by the law or otherwise afforded SS protection.

Only active presidents children, regardless of age receive SS protection.

Frequently Asked Questions About Us

The United States Secret Service, one of the nation's oldest federal investigative law enforcement agencies, was founded in 1865 as a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department.

www.secretservice.gov

 

[Inthedetails]

I'd rather have a question and answer session about why the system failed?

No questions were answered today.
Moo

The question and answer session is more of a congressional hearing/investigation function, imo, and that is in the works.

jmo

 

[Tutter]

... and increase Secret Service protection for President Trump acknowledging the many threats he gets against his life everyday and the actual assassination attempt on his life and the threat he faces over the next few months of his campaign.

There have been many calls to harm President Trump over the years, by many well known people. IMO

Yes, I heard. What on earth would make them so lax with security? Over-confidence?

How do I put this in a p.c. way….it seems like merit and competence are not always first priorities in hiring these days. Also my own opinion.

 

[GRT]

My opinion on the above, everyone, no matter what political affiliation, are under threat. This is not limited to Presidential candidates.

SBM

I agree. The outlandish rhetoric has been ginned up in the past couple of decades until people on both political sides are saying hateful and inciteful things.

It's like the road rage of social media now spews naturally from their mouths.

I don't think the shooter was so enamored with Biden that he was following Biden's comment about someone putting Trump in a bullseye. I just think he was a ticking time bomb.

It'll be interesting to find out more about him and his mental health.

But, the hateful rhetoric has to stop. Already, I've seen comments about how it was a "false flag" and then comments from Trump fans saying now it's "their turn."

When you have someone who's a nut -- those kinds of comments can be inciteful.

 

[technicallymissing]

Kohler said he recalled Crooks being targeted for dressing in hunting clothes to school and for "always wearing a mask," even after the COVID-19 pandemic had ended.

Former schoolmate says Trump shooting suspect was ‘bullied' in high school A man who went to high school with the suspect shooter described Thomas Matthew Crooks as a "loner" who was "bullied almost every day." "He was just an outcast, and you know

Former schoolmate says Trump shooting suspect was ‘bullied' in high school A man who went to high school with the suspect shooter described Thomas Matthew Crooks as a "loner" who was "bullied almost...

www.facebook.com

I get so sick of hearing these mass shooters were "bullied". Cry me a river. Almost everyone is bullied at some point in their school years and much of the time girls get far worse harassment (often sexually motivated) than boys do, yet the cases of female mass shooters are incredibly rare. Being bullied should not be an acceptable excuse to take innocent lives- lives who had nothing to do with the supposed bullying! JMO of course and may sound heartless but I really have zero sympathy for people who do things like this.

 

[neesaki]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812495902277263785

Melanie’s full statement:

I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.

We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.

When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of a devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.

To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.

A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion - this laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband's life - his human side - were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.

Le us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment - until death - is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.

We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy re necessities.

And let us remember that when the time comes to loo beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.

“Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.

This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.

I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.

The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide - thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”

 

[indicolite22]

A man who lives on Crooks’ street said he was shocked to wake up to the news that a neighbor was responsible for the assassination attempt. “It’s absolutely nuts,” said the man, 39-year-old Andrew Blanco.

Blanco said most people on the block are friendly but he rarely saw or spoke to anyone at Crooks’ home.

“I just don’t know anything about them because they’re not even outside,” Blanco said.

Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Pennsylvania man

The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive was not clear.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[clorenc]

It's significant that he wore their t-shirt while he did it.

I’m not sure about this. I think a guy with specific interests could own many t-shirts of a similar or adjacent theme; he could’ve grabbed any one of them from his dresser.

“Crooks would regularly wear hunting outfits and was made fun of for the way he dressed, Kohler said.”

Trump rally shooter identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks

The FBI identified the shooter, who is dead, as Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. A motive was not clear.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Betty P]

Here's an article from the 2016 campaign, in which Mr. Trump's overlapping campaign security apparatus is described by a knowlegeable source as "extensive to the point of looking dysfunctional."

I'm looking for more recent articles on Trump's fascination with private security and the issue whether the public should be paying for it. Hope this will get your inquiry going!

It was also disturbing to watch the video of Trump after the shooting. He kept struggling to get loose from the SS agents so he could raise his fist, etc. They were having a hard time keeping him covered because he kept sticking his head and upper body out in the open. I guess there's no much they can do about that but physically force him back under cover. Its a good thing the shooter had been killed at that point or they could have tried for second and third shots at Trump.

 

[margarita25]

Dbm

 

[MoominMama222]

Why would a republican supporter shoot their own candidate strange obviously the young man in question had mental health issues not questioning that .. <modsnip>

It's possible he fell down the accelerationist rabbit hole. Accelerationists want a civil war and can be left, right and libertarian. He seems like a young man who may not have had a stable identity and could have been swayed into violence after becoming radicalized online. We've seen it with Islamist and domestic terrorists alike.

 

[MassGuy]

Wow. Wild.

So two things here. A failure by the officer to engage, while it also explains why this guy potentially missed; he was rushed.

Not long before shots rang out, rallygoers noticed a man climbing to the roof of a nearby building and warned local police, according to two law enforcement officials.

One local police officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him, said the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Local officer encountered gunman just before he shot toward Trump at rally, sources tell AP

Sources tell The Associated Press that a local law enforcement officer encountered the gunman moments before he fired toward former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania.

apnews.com

 

[Inthedetails]

"President Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Sunday following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump."

Biden to deliver rare Oval Office address tonight after Trump assassination attempt

WASHINGTON — President Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Sunday following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Biden, 81, announced plans for …

nypost.com

 

[MassGuy]

It was also disturbing to watch the video of Trump after the shooting. He kept struggling to get loose from the SS agents so he could raise his fist, etc. They were having a hard time keeping him covered because he kept sticking his head and upper body out in the open. I guess there's no much they can do about that but physically force him back under cover. Its a good thing the shooter had been killed at that point or they could have tried for second and third shots at Trump.

They knew the shooter was down, which is why they stood up and began moving. Outside his protective team was a tactical team as well. Trump knew it was over, as he was overheard asking for his shoes.

Of course there still could have been a threat, but it’s clear he didn’t believe there was one.

His agents couldn’t have been happy though, as they’d be trained to assume it wasn’t over.

 

[Cool Cats]

Explosive Devices Reportedly Found In Car, Possibly Home Of Suspected Trump Shooter​

MSN

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

For those people who love guns, having a new one in the home probably presents a temptation to try it out. Add in a web site where everyone is probably bragging about what they're doing or fantasizing about using their assault rifle.

Where on earth did you get the idea that "everyone" on a website is bragging about what they are doing or fantasizing about using an assault rifle?? People that "love" guns are not "presented" with a temptation to shoot people "to try it out". JFC What an offensive post.

 

[Waxahachie1]

It sounds like members of Congress and others are worried. They're getting security briefings and some are cancelling travel. It's summertime, campaign season when politicians used to go out into their districts to rally and meet with constituents. After Jan. 6 and now this, its hard to blame them staying away from these public events.

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/14/trump-rally-shooting-updates/congress-to-get-security-briefings-after-shooting-00168096

They should worry. Some of them have sown the wind of normalizing violence and threats of violence, and this incident should open their minds to the possibility that they will reap the whirlwind. They have assumed, rightly, that their opponents are peaceful people who will not respond in kind. But their opponents aren't the people that should concern them...

 

[vls12345]

I'm starting to think a big part of the problem was lack of coordinated communication between the various agencies.

(Of course the biggest problem was a person willing to use violence.)

jmo

Agree that this was likely a factor.

If the LE sniper had eyes on him and was waiting... what was he waiting on? Confirmation to shoot? Confirmation that it was a threat vs. an unidentified friendly? Something else? Still, the Secret Service should have already moved into position around Trump if there was a sudden question about a possible threat. Not just a Plan A or B. There should have been a Plan A, B, C, D, E, F, and G in place (and practiced for).

Imo.

 

[Ghostwheel]

My understanding is that Mr. Trump has always had his own private security force overseeing and supplementing the Secret Service agents and their operations. I assume they were satisfied with the arrangements since the event was allowed to happen. I look forward to reporting on their role in the security planning and advising Mr. Trump, and why the rooftop used by the shooter was not covered. At this point, I am not able to assess whether the security lapse - which is self-evident in retrospect - was a result of insufficient staffing or poor planning, or both.

If this is true, then makes me think too many cooks in the kitchen. If there WAS Secret Service and local and specialized local and Trumps private security, who was responsible for what, and did they all think someone else had those roofs being watched outside the venue?

 

[GRT]

Melanie’s full statement:

I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans.

We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one.

When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of a devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.

To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me.

A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald's passion - this laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband's life - his human side - were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.

Le us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment - until death - is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.

We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy re necessities.

And let us remember that when the time comes to loo beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm.

“Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now.

This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.

I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans.

The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide - thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”

That's actually very nice!