Secret Service approves new plan for Trump to continue outdoor rallies
The Secret Service has approved a new security plan to better protect former president Donald Trump at outdoor campaign events, including the use of bulletproof glass to shield him onstage, a Secret Service official confirmed.
The effort comes after the Secret Service urged the Trump campaign to temporarily pause having Trump appear at outdoor rallies, after a gunman fired multiple shots at the Republican nominee at an outdoor fairgrounds in Butler, Pa., on July 13.
Trump was wounded and has not appeared at an outdoor campaign event since the attempted assassination, which is considered the Secret Service’s most serious security failure since John Hinckley was able to shoot and nearly kill President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington hotel four decades ago.
The plan to erect bulletproof glass to surround Trump at outdoor events is a major enhancement in the Secret Service’s standard security planning for candidate campaign events, according to the Secret Service official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security measures. Such sheets of ballistic glass are normally only provided for presidents and for vice presidents when deemed necessary at outdoor appearances, an extra layer of security organized and coordinated by the Department of Defense to shield the nation’s top two leaders. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic nominee challenging Trump, would be given such protection if warranted, officials said.
The Defense Department partners with the Secret Service to bolster security for the sitting president and vice president, the official said, but does not help protect candidates for president. The Secret Service generally prefers indoor events for presidents and vice presidents, reducing the need for such glass.
“Former presidents and candidates don’t normally get bulletproof glass or support from DOD,” the official said. “This glass needs to be brought in on trucks and vans.”
With the goal of better protecting Trump, a Secret Service official said, the agency has begun positioning caches of ballistic glass around the country in various locations, where government personnel can easily access it for Trump campaign events.
The Secret Service will also be adding other technical security assets that have not normally been provided for presidential candidates, a Secret Service official confirmed, but they declined to describe those tools. These technical security measures could include the use of drones.
The Secret Service public affairs office declined to comment on the change. The new development involving the use of bulletproof glass was first reported this afternoon by ABC News.
Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle had met with the Trump campaign in the wake of the July 13 shooting, recommending he temporarily stop holding outdoor events and proposing the agency craft a new security plan for his campaign appearances.
Trump has wanted to do at least some outdoor rallies again, including one in Butler, Pa., Trump aides told The Washington Post. Advisers have not finalized a date, and the service has asked for several weeks to plan for any such event. But Trump had made clear he did not want to go outside again without the protective glass, an adviser said.
Cheatle resigned a day after she testified before Congress about the shooting, amid bipartisan calls among lawmakers for her resignation and broad internal agency disappointment with her leadership and handling of the crisis. Acting head of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe Jr., continued and finalized the new security plans for Trump and use of ballistic glass and other measures, an official said.
Trump’s campaign team is still eyeing indoor venues for many of his campaign events, out of an abundance of caution, according to Trump advisers. These advisers have told The Post they think indoor events will create fewer challenges for creating a security bubble around Trump.