Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak Wednesday in Pennsylvania, about 200 miles from the site of the assassination earlier this month. Experts told Fox News that security measures will be “heightened” given the scrutiny the U.S. Secret Service faces and the possibility of “copycat” killers.
“You have the expression ‘copycat.’ They say, ‘Look at the attention. [would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks] Got it,” they said. “I want the attention,” former State Department agent Kevin Malloy told Fox Digital News.
“I’m sure the Secret Service has stepped up their efforts because, you know, you do kind of fear copycats. He came so close to ultimate success so easily – maybe I can do something about it,” he continued.
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On July 13, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. (Trump Campaign Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Gene Petrino, former SWAT commander plantation police department florida An expert on active shooter incidents for 26 years, he told Fox News Digital that “copycat shooters are always concerning” and that “this latest attack certainly heightens security risks and responses.”
The fear of trying again is not unfounded. In the three weeks before John F. Kennedy Jr. was shot to death by Lee Harvey Oswald, Chicago and Miami thwarted an assassination attempt on him, according to interviews with former Secret Service agents on CBS Miami and Broadcast Chicago conspiracy.
The Republican nominee will take the stage at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Expo Center in Harrisburg, which has more than a million square feet of indoor space, according to its website.
Trump returns to Pennsylvania for first time since assassination attempt
More than 12,000 people packed into Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20, 2024, to watch former President Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance hold their first joint rally. The first rally since Trump was attacked. (Fox News Digital/Brandon Gillespie)
Pennsylvania and Capitol Police will assist the Secret Service in securing the venue, and state police told Fox News Digital that the local Harrisburg Police Department will be responsible for traffic control around the venue.
“You would think [an indoor venue] said Malloy, who defended former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State John Kerry. “
Malloy said security scans of the stadium may have been conducted or are ongoing to identify potential security breaches and locations where weapons or explosives may be hidden.
“We’ve seen a huge difference [Trump’s] RNC security details. For his rallies, I expect to see the same thing,” Petrino said. “I think you’re going to see Trump getting farther and farther away from the crowd, and as he approaches the podium, you’re going to see a wide channel. Without drones providing aerial coverage, multiple sniper teams covering Multiple angles, not even a K-9 team, I would be shocked.
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Butler, Pennsylvania, crowd at former President Trump rally (Fox News)
“I don’t think he spends a lot of time getting on and off the stage,” Petrino added.
Arrivals and departures from venues are “one of the most vulnerable times for protected persons” because their timing and movements are predictable, Malloy said.
“You want to consider alternatives to the main entrance — underground parking, a back or side entrance, something with a rear or side view,” Malloy said. “If you can’t do that, you need to set up a tent in that area , so you can block the view of that area.”
Malloy noted that venues have walkways, balconies and boxes that could be ideal vantage points for potential shooters, and said “access to these areas should be controlled.” He said the pit lane would be an ideal location for Secret Service counter snipers.
He also noted that an evacuation strategy would be developed for the former president and a motorcade would be prepared outside in case of another assassination attempt.
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On July 20, 2024, thousands of people gathered on the streets of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for former President Donald Trump’s first rally since the failed assassination attempt. (Fox News Digital/Brandon Gillespie)
Malloy said Butler’s close call was the result of either “incompetence or complacency” within the Secret Service, but that since then, he’s “[seen] Lessons learned from the Butler incident.
“Their pride was not just hurt, it was battered,” Malloy said of the Secret Service. “By and large, they are a professional agency. Everyone stole Secret Service letters of protection.”
“Whether it’s the incompetence of some individuals or a series of individuals, or the emergence of complacency, I don’t know the answer – that’s the answer that everyone is trying to find out,” he continued.
