President Donald Trump has publicly addressed the security lapses that nearly led to his assassination and shared details of his conversation with President Joe Biden following the incident.
Trump’s near-assassination occurred almost two weeks ago at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was targeted by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Democrat donor. Trump has criticized the Secret Service’s handling of the situation, specifically pointing out that had the agency, under Director Kimberly Cheatle, provided adequate security, including guarding the roof from which Crooks fired, the attack could have been prevented. He also expressed confusion over why he was allowed on stage despite the presence of suspicious activity.
Trump voiced frustration that the Secret Service failed to act on the potential threat and lamented that if the security measures had been in place, firefighter Corey Compertore, who died in the attack, might still be alive. He disputed Cheatle’s explanation that a sloped roof was the reason it wasn’t guarded.
In an interview with Fox News’s Jesse Watters, Trump recounted a brief conversation he had with Biden after the attack. According to Trump, Biden’s call was “nice” and included a remark about Trump being “lucky you turned to the right,” suggesting Biden had been briefed on the incident.
