Security experts told Fox Digital that the threat to former President Trump is unique to him and far greater than the threat faced by other living former presidents because his incendiary political rhetoric has consistently portrayed him as “enemy number one of democracy.”
President Trump has faced two assassination attempts in just over two months, first on July 13 and the other on September 15. In the first incident, an assassin wounded President Trump and killed rally attendee, firefighter Cory Comperatore. There are no known recent assassination attempts on other former presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Jimmy Carter, who has been in hospice care since February 2023.
“We get a lot of hate from both sides and like I said, a lot of these comments embolden people to be confident that they're going to 'fix the problem,'” said former SWAT commander Gene Petrino. Plantation Florida Police Department Trump, a mass shooting expert for 26 years, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday: “'We can't let this happen. We can't lose our freedoms. We can't lose these rights.' I haven't chosen a side, I've chosen sides. But unfortunately, Trump is seen as enemy number one of democracy.”
“He just set a higher footstep, so to speak, in terms of who could be assassinated among all presidents,” Petrino added.
Trump was safely escorted from his West Palm Beach golf club on Sunday afternoon after a man identifying himself as Ryan Routh allegedly pointed a rifle through a chain-link fence toward Trump's green. Routh was arrested shortly thereafter while trying to flee in a car in what authorities are investigating as an assassination attempt.
Trump assassin suspect laughs and smiles at first court appearance in Florida
On July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Trump was photographed with a bloodied face being rushed off a stage by Secret Service agents. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
The attack marked the second assassination attempt on Trump in just a few months. Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. The shooting, carried out by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, injured two rally attendees and killed Comperatore while trying to protect his family.
Petrino said he hasn't heard of any plots against living former presidents, but the Secret Service should consider a second plot against Trump when protecting other presidents.
“Right now, they have two [attempts] “In the space of a few months, we'll have two presidents running for president. Something is happening. We'd better step up our efforts across the board – not just against Trump, but against everyone,” he said, adding that while Harris and Biden were also targets, Trump had “more influence” among former presidents in particular.
“There are keyboard warriors. It's like a drug. They go out and spew hate and venom online. [The internet] These people have allowed their mental illness to consume them.”
House Democratic Leader Says 'MAGA Must Stop' After Second Report of Trump Assassination Attempt
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Clinton, Obama and Bush to ask whether there were any heightened concerns or increased security following the second assassination attempt on Trump, but did not receive a response.
FBI agents remove boxes of evidence from the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (via Mega, Fox News Digital)
When asked about security measures surrounding former presidents, the Secret Service told Fox Digital on Tuesday that it had “heightened” security around “protected individuals” following the first assassination attempt on Trump.
“Following the incident on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has increased its protection posture for subjects and, where necessary, increased protective resources to ensure the highest level of safety and security for subjects,” the Secret Service told Fox Digital. “For operational security reasons, we cannot comment on the specific methods or methods used in protective operations.”
Bill Stanton, a security expert and former New York Police Department officer, added in an interview with Fox Digital that the “perfect situation of escalating rhetoric” surrounding the election cycle has made Trump a prime target for people who are “self-radicalized” by his inflammatory rhetoric.
Trump blames Biden-Harris 'comments' for latest assassination attempt, says they'll 'save the country'
“There are keyboard warriors. It's like a drug. They go out and spew hate and venom online,” he said.[The internet] These people have allowed their mental illness to consume them, and when the medication is no longer sufficient, we are now seeing a Matrix-like transition from the cyber world into the real world.”
The morning after the attempted attack, President Trump spoke on Fox Digital and held Democrats responsible for the second attempted attack.
“[The suspect] “I believed what Biden and Harris said and I acted on it,” Trump said in the interview. “I'm being shot at for what they're saying, but I'm in a position to save the country. They're destroying the country from the inside out.”
“It's called the enemy from within. They are the real threat,” Trump added.
Petrino said he believes the attacks on Trump are “unique” to the 45th president.
“[Trump] “He's the polar opposite of other politicians and he really goes against the views of a lot of people,” Petrino said. “…The political division in our country is out of control right now. The rhetoric that's being said on both sides has to stop. It perpetuates this and it emboldens people who may not have the mental capacity to think critically about things to say, 'Oh, I'm going to be the savior and save democracy.'”
Armed man arrested at Trump golf course, Ryan Routh, frequently posts about Trump and politics
Ryan W. Routh, suspected of attempting to assassinate former President Trump, stands in handcuffs after being arrested near Palm City, Florida, on September 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office/Distributed via Reuters)
Fox News Digital is based in Routh Social Media On Sunday evening before his account was suspended, he was found to have imitated Democratic political rhetoric, including saying, “Democracy is on the ballot and we cannot lose.”
“Your campaign should be named something like KADAF. Make America a democratic and free country. Trump should be MASA… Make Americans masters instead of slaves again. Democracy is on the ballot and we cannot lose. We cannot fail. The world is counting on us to show the way,” read one message from X, posted in April, before Biden dropped out of the race in July and Harris emerged as the top Democratic presidential candidate.
Both Harris and Biden have repeatedly said this year is a “democratic election.” The White House, Biden and Harris have also described Trump as a “threat” to democracy.
During a White House press conference on Tuesday, Fox News' Peter Doocy asked whether the administration would stop using the word “threat” to describe President Trump in the wake of the second assassination attempt. In his questioning, Doocy noted that President Trump has launched similar attacks against Biden and Harris.
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the stage during the Congressional Black Caucus' Phoenix Awards ceremony, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“How many more assassination attempts will it take against Donald Trump before the president and vice president are comfortable describing him in words other than 'a threat'?” Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre told Doocy he didn't agree with the premise of his question at all, and called the way he asked it “incredibly dangerous” with Americans watching.
The White House continues to call Trump a “threat” to democracy despite multiple attempts to assassinate the former president.
“What I said about the president, the former president, about January 6th [a] This is the fact that you all reported. [a] It's a fact. The election was not the result of an election.“…More than 60 Republican judges said it was a free and fair election,” Jean-Pierre said. “More than 2,000 people were instructed to go to the Capitol. It was one of the darkest days, one of the darkest days, for our democracy.”
“You're right,” Doocy added. “People watching at home might miss the part where you say, 'Let's turn the temperature down.' And … mentally unstable people are trying to kill a political candidate … trying to kill Donald Trump. And they're still hearing the White House call Trump a threat. Aren't you worried that people are taking that literally?”
Jean-Pierre pointed to Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters broke into the Capitol, as an example of why the administration described Trump as a “threat.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House on Wednesday for additional comment on the claim that the second attempted attack on Trump was driven by heightened political rhetoric, but did not immediately receive a response.
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Both Harris and Biden condemned Sunday's attack on Trump, calling him after the incident and also condemning an attack in Pennsylvania in July.
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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