After Another Trump Assassination Bid, Biden Says US Secret Service ‘Needs More Help’

President Joe Biden said Monday that the US Secret Service needs more personnel to perform its duties after a second assassination attempt against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

“One thing I want to make clear, the (secret) service needs more help, and I think the Congress should respond to their needs,” Biden told reporters at the White House “I think we may need more personnel.” Biden added that “thank God the president’s OK” following Sunday’s incident in which the Secret Service opened fire on a gunman, who was later arrested, at Trump’s golf course in Florida.

‘Like to thank everyone’

This comes after Trump expressed gratitude to law enforcement following an apparent second assassination attempt against him at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump thanked the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, and local law enforcement for their quick response, stating, “I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes — It was certainly an interesting day!” The Republican presidential nominee said that he felt safe and proud to be an American.

FBI Probes

The FBI is investigating the incident, which occurred around 1:30 PM local time. Secret Service agents noticed an AK-47-style rifle aimed at the golf course from a distance of 300 to 500 yards. They fired at the suspect, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, who fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after on Interstate 95. Authorities recovered the rifle along with two backpacks and a GoPro camera near the golf course.

This incident marks the second assassination attempt against Trump this year; he was previously shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Following that event, scrutiny of Secret Service protocols increased, and this latest attempt has raised further concerns about security measures surrounding the former president. In a fundraising email sent after the incident, Trump reassured supporters that he was “safe and well,” declaring, “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”

On Sunday, media interviews and social media posts showed that the reported suspect, Ryan Routh, 58, was a staunch supporter of Ukraine who had traveled there after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kyiv on Monday denied links to a man accused of trying to assassinate Trump, after it emerged that the suspect was a supporter of Ukraine who had said he wanted to recruit foreign volunteers to fight there. Ukrainian officials said they had nothing to do with him, and accused Moscow of seizing on the link for propaganda purposes.