Former President Donald Trump’s appearance at a conference in Nashville on Saturday was briefly delayed by Secret Service agents due to another security glitch, The Washington Post has learned.
Police sources said the robbery was perpetrated by two people who evaded metal detectors just after 3:30 p.m. inside the Music City Center, where the 2024 Bitcoin Conference was being held.
The Secret Service said in a statement to The Washington Post on Monday night that the pair were “identified and screened” but removed from the premises after failing to follow proper entry procedures.
“It was determined that these individuals posed no protective interest and no threat to the former president,” a Secret Service spokesman said.
The Republican candidate was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech, but a source said security had instructed him to wait until the individual’s location was known.
The pair were chased, removed from the event and questioned, according to sources. No criminal charges have been filed against either man.
The pair were stopped at the first checkpoint before passing through a second round of screening, sources said.
It’s unclear how they got past the checks or whether the Secret Service is to blame for any security lapses.
An email sent to the Trump campaign was not immediately responded to.
The latest security blunder comes nearly two weeks after President Trump was grazed by a sniper’s bullet during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shooting has drawn intense criticism and scrutiny of the Secret Service, with lawmakers calling for further clarification from the federal agency about what happened in Pennsylvania.
What we know about the attempted assassination of President Trump
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks has been identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent.
- The gunman grazed President Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old former fire chief and wounded two other people at the rally.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he sought out dates for speeches by President Trump and the Democratic National Convention.
- FBI officials said the criminal’s search history also revealed a broad interest in famous people and celebrities, regardless of political affiliation.
- “I was supposed to be dead,” Trump told The Washington Post exclusively at the rally, describing how he survived the “surreal” assassination attempt.
- Prominent politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it a “heinous, horrific and despicable act.”
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week amid the furore.
Additional reporting by Victor Nava
