Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will receive protection from the U.S. Secret Service following the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
“In light of the events of this weekend, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide security for Robert Kennedy Jr. both before and after the events of last weekend,” Mayorkas told reporters.
Trump on Monday joined growing calls for Secret Service protection for President Kennedy, days after the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In a Truth Social post, Trump said it was “essential” for President Kennedy to have security.
Security at rally revealed in case of suspected Trump assassination attempt
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a voter rally at The Hangar at Stanley Marketplace on May 19, 2024 in Aurora, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
“Given the history of the Kennedy family, this is clearly the right thing to do!” Trump wrote, referring to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the 1968 murder of the father of then-presidential candidate Senator Robert Kennedy.
Kennedy responded by saying Trump’s comments were a “hopeful sign for our country that his political opponent has asked for protection. Perhaps our country can come together after all.”
Kennedy’s campaign He was in debt for $1.4 million. He moved to a private security company by early spring, after the Biden administration repeatedly rejected his requests for Secret Service protection. Attacking Biden This comes after he rejected at least three requests for protection during the 2024 election campaign, dating back to last year.
Attempt to assassinate President Trump at Pennsylvania rally leaves two injured, including the shooter, two dead
President Biden, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and former President Trump (Getty Images)
According to the letter obtained by the Deseret News, the Biden administration had previously argued that the Secret Service protection given to Kennedy was “unjustified,” despite the fact that Kennedy said he had received multiple documented death threats against him.
The Secret Service has stepped up security for Trump following Saturday’s shooting. ““Based on the evolving threats against the former president and his impending transition from presumptive nominee to nominee,” Mayorkas said.
“I cannot discuss the specifics of production protection or enhancements because they involve sensitive tactics and procedures,” he said, “but I can say that additional personnel and other protection resources, technology and capabilities have been added.”
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said leaders needed to “de-escalate tensions” to prevent further political violence.
Former President Trump responds as multiple gunshots ring out during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
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“We need to defuse tensions. That’s what we need to do, defuse tensions and bring the country together,” she said. “That’s the whole point of this president, of his presidency, is to bring the country together. That’s what he wants to do.”
Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
