Trump’s Butler Return Highlights Secret Service Failures In July

Tightened security at former President Donald Trump’s Saturday rally at the site of his first assassination attempt draws a stark contrast with the lax U.S. Secret Service measures taken on July 13 that allowed him to be shot in the head.

The rally site at Butler Farm Show, Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, was surrounded by local, state, and federal officials on foot, horseback, and in vehicles on the day of the event. Aside from normal metal detector and security checkpoints one might expect at such an event, the large display of security personnel did not go unnoticed by rally attendees.

“This one, definitely I see the tighter security measures, no doubt, more barriers, and I think they’re more well prepared this time to protect President Trump and protect all the MAGA fan base as a whole,” rally attendee Nima Poursohi of Burlington County, New Jersey, who was also at the July 13 rally, told The Federalist. “They are definitely doing a great job. I have great respect for law enforcement and all the agencies.”

Nearly every building visible around the rally site had snipers or other security personnel on them, including the now-infamous AGT glass building from which Trump’s would-be assassin fired his bullets, killing one and injuring three, including the former president. Agents frequently scanned inside and outside the site through binoculars, and the whirr of a counter-drone system persisted throughout the duration of the event.

“I feel like I’ve seen a lot of security,” attendee Vicki Barnum of Collier Township, Pennsylvania, told The Federalist. “I see people on the slanted roof that they couldn’t be on before. I’ve seen several snipers. I feel safe.”

Barnum’s mention of a “slanted roof” was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the “sloped roof” excuse given by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle as to why the building from which the assassin shot his gun could not be secured. Cheatle resigned in disgrace after Trump was shot at the Butler rally in July.

Security lapses at the first Butler rally were much more widespread than just failing to position personnel on easily-accessible sniper perches with a direct line of sight to the former president.

Last month, a bipartisan report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee revealed multiple Secret Service failures that “directly contributed” to the shooting.

According to the report, the Secret Service told the committee that no specific individual or individuals were responsible for planning the security at the rally, with some personnel denying responsibility or deflecting blame for failures.

“What happened on July 13 was an accumulation of errors that produced a perfect storm of stunning failure,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a press release. “It was a tragedy and completely preventable from the outset. There was both a failure to provide resources – like a working radio, drone detection system, or counter surveillance team – and lack of an effective chain of command.”

As The Federalist reported, the Biden-Harris administration stonewalled the committee’s inquiry, with requests from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Secret Service itself remaining outstanding. The majority of documents provided by the Secret Service and DHS were “heavily redacted.”

Nonetheless, the committee was able to determine that the Secret Service also failed to coordinate with state and local law enforcement about how to cover the AGR building, and shockingly did not consider state and local law enforcement operational plans.

“Communications at the July 13 rally were siloed and USSS did not ensure it could share information with local law enforcement partners in real time,” the report states.

The Secret Service was also notified prior to shots being fired that a suspicious individual with a range finder was near the AGR building.

“Our initial findings clearly show a series of multiple failures of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and an inexcusable dereliction of duty,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said. “Not only did USSS fail to ensure the AGR roof was adequately covered, they were also aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder for at least 27 minutes and did not delay proceedings or remove former President Trump from the stage, even after being informed that the suspicious individual was on the roof of the AGR building.”

While there were counter-drone systems in operation the entire rally on Saturday, at the July rally the shooter was able to fly a drone in the area before the counter-drone system was operational. To make matters worse, the counter-drone unit had technical issues, according to the report, and the operator (who only had three moths of experience working with the equipment and “lacked knowledge” about it) had to call an 888 toll-free helpline for technical support.

In addition to the operational counter-drone system at Saturday’s rally, the Secret Service also ensured that they would operate a unified command center with state and local law enforcement. The campaign also briefed the town of Butler on the size and scope of the rally.

“Since the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive changes and enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing, and protective operations,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement, according to CBS News. “Today, the former President is receiving heightened protection and we take the responsibility to ensure his safety and security very seriously.”

Despite all the failures, Trump on Saturday thanked the Secret Service for risking their lives in July to save his own.

“First, I want to thank the men and women of the U.S. Secret Service who threw their bodies on top of mine — without even a thought for their own lives,” Trump said. “They were on top of me so fast. They were on top of me, and there was not even a moment of doubt in their minds. You watched those tapes. Not even a moment of doubt.”

“Those agents displayed a devotion to duty that cannot be described, and they did it yet again less than three weeks ago, when they really did a fantastic job,” the former president continued, referring to another assassination attempt in Florida.

Breccan F. Thies is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.