First appearance on FOXRepublican senators are calling on the Secret Service to step up security for former President Donald Trump following the second assassination attempt on him in just over two months.
“It is essential that USSS units assigned to President Trump be given additional protective resources, including increased personnel, to provide greater coverage,” Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) wrote in a letter to Acting Secretary Ronald Lowe on Tuesday.
The second assassination attempt took place on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president plays. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after allegedly ramming the muzzle of an SKS rifle into a chain-link fence surrounding the course.
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Republican senators are calling for increased Secret Service protection for former President Donald Trump. (Reuters)
Secret Service officers opened fire after the suspect was seen holding a gun, and Routh fled in a black Nissan before being arrested.
Senators Marshall and Tuberville, along with six other senators, including Senators James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), called on Senator Rowe and the Secret Service to “designate President Trump as a protected person with the same level of protective resources provided to a sitting President.”
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“In the space of two months, we have seen two unprecedented assassination attempts on President Trump's life. Enough is enough. The current level of Secret Service security surrounding President Trump is inadequate,” Senator Marshall said. “It is clear to every American that the threat to President Trump has reached a level that requires additional security, which is why we are demanding that President Trump be given the same security resources as the President and Vice President. We are not a third world country. President Trump's security is non-negotiable and will remain our number one priority. Anything less, or any discussion of his safety and security, is unacceptable,” Senator Marshall said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“After two assassination attempts in 65 days, it is clear that the current level of Secret Service security surrounding President Trump is completely inadequate,” Tuberville said in a statement.
“The status quo is completely unacceptable. A former President of the United States, especially one seeking re-election, should have the best security in the world. With less than two months to go until the election, we call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to provide President Trump the same presidential protection he currently enjoys. Their silence is deafening. We are not asking for more tweets, we are asking for action,” he continued.
The senators called for “a briefing to members of Congress and staff regarding the attempt on President Trump's life, the ongoing threat landscape, and how the USSS can continue to successfully execute its mission without failure.”
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The suspect was shown being arrested and taken away by authorities in Florida on suspicion of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)
Additionally, they asked the Acting Secretary to respond within 10 days to several questions, including what additional protective resources have been allocated following the July 13 assassination attempt and what steps the USSS has taken to further enhance protection for President Trump.
Republicans pointed to a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in July suggesting there had been a “significant physical and technological buildup” after the initial attack.
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On July 13, 2024, former President Donald Trump was photographed being escorted off stage at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, with blood running down his face and surrounded by Secret Service agents. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
The senators pointed to statements made by President Biden this week, in which he argued he had directed his administration to “ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and safeguards necessary to ensure the continued security of the former President.”
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“What additional protection resources will this order allocate and how will the USSS further ensure President Trump's protection?” they asked.
DHS and the Secret Service did not immediately comment to Fox News Digital.
