A witness to former President Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, said security at the event was “extremely lax” after gunshots rang out on Saturday.
Benjamin Schrader, who was invited to the battleground state rally by Trump himself, told Fox News Digital that security was “terrible.”
“First off, I have to say that the security at this event was awful,” he said. “It was extremely lax.”
Witness to Trump rally assassination attempt says ‘everyone fell to the ground’ and was left ‘stunned’ after the shooting
Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents with a bloodied face after an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
Schrader said security at the special guest area was “great,” but that security at the larger political rally overall was “lax.”
“In the special guest section, we had to give all our personal information and security, which was nice,” he said. “But the event as a whole had very lax security.”
Overall, security at this event was very lax.
Schrader added that there was insufficient public admission screening before the event.
“There was just a metal detector and a body search and that was it,” he said. “Nobody walked around the fence so someone could easily throw a gun in.”
Shooting at Trump rally investigated as assassination attempt
The US Secret Service (USSS) later said in a press release that the suspect opened fire from an “elevated position”, killing at least one person and seriously wounding two others.
An assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump took place at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, leaving one person dead and two injured. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Schrader said he witnessed “a lot of blood” after the back-to-back gunfights.
“I was standing there and I heard a gunshot and I turned around and saw someone about 10 feet behind me had been shot,” he said. “There was a lot of blood.”
He continued: “I turned to face the president, and he put his hand on my right hand and raised it up in front of my face. [in a fist]”
Witness Benjamin Schroeder called President Trump’s response to the assassination attempt brave and “truly admirable.” (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Schrader said there was “no need to panic” after the shooting and that security had urged everyone to leave the scene.
“There was no lockdown. There was nothing,” he said. “After Trump was shot, it seemed like the best Secret Service people were surrounding him, but there was no lockdown. It was very chaotic.”
Attempt to assassinate President Trump at Pennsylvania rally leaves two injured, including the shooter, two dead
It was a mess…
Former President Donald Trump is escorted by US Secret Service agents following an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Schrader said Trump showed “truly admirable” courage during the chaotic events.
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“I wish the president the best of luck and I wish him nothing but good health,” he said. “He was strong. He pumped his fist and showed that kind of courage in a moment like this, and that’s really admirable.”
