Sadly, President Donald Trump faces innumerable threats from both foreign adversaries and domestic radicals prone to violence. These are people suffering from severe “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Last year, the President survived two assassination attempts. On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks somehow evaded all security personnel at the President’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He used a drone to scout the location and climbed onto the roof of the building nearest to the rally site.
Incredibly, the Secret Service did not utilize drones and claimed the roof was too steep to position their agents prior to the event. Before a Secret Service sniper killed him, Crooks took eight shots at President Trump.
He killed courageous firefighter Corey Comperatore, who died protecting his family, and wounded U.S. Marine veteran David Dutch. He also shot President Trump in the ear and missed his head by millimeters. It was only the grace of God that allowed the President to turn his head at the right time to look at an illegal immigration graph and survive the shooting.
The federal investigation into this assassination attempt and the multiple mistakes committed by the Secret Service has been unsatisfactory and many questions remain.
On September 15, 2024, Ryan Routh, fueled by Trump hatred, camped on the border of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. He had multiple weapons and sophisticated gear in a “sniper’s nest.” Routh had backpacks, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope, a Go-Pro camera and ceramic tiles that may have been body armor. Somehow, Routh knew where the President was going to be playing golf that day.
After waiting for 12 hours for the President to approach his location adjacent to the sixth hole, Routh placed the muzzle of his gun through the bushes. Finally, he was spotted by a Secret Service agent, who engaged him in gunfire. Routh escaped but was later apprehended by law enforcement on Interstate 95.
This was another shocking lapse in Secret Service protection for President Trump. Fortunately, Routh was found guilty of numerous crimes including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and possession of a firearm.
After President Trump was elected again last November, he selected a new Secret Service Director who promised extensive reforms. At that time, Americans hoped the President would be adequately protected in his second term.
Unfortunately, in recent weeks, there have been several disturbing incidents that have caused great concern about the President’s safety.
On August 31, a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia brought a loaded semi-automatic handgun into the facility while the President was on the premises. The weapon, a Glock, was not detected by Secret Service personnel during security screening using handheld magnetometers.
The Secret Service placed the agent responsible for the security check on administrative leave while conducting an internal review. Also, club videos suggest that the member was not close to the President at any time. Nevertheless, the troubling incident raises significant questions about the President’s security.
On September 9, the President and several of his cabinet members traveled less than a quarter mile from the White House to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab restaurant. Before the President’s group could enjoy dinner, they were greeted with loud chants such as “Trump is the Hitler of Our Time” by left wing Code Pink activists.
For some reason, these crazed protesters were allowed to get remarkably close to President Trump and verbally accosted him. Eventually, they left, but one of them could have been carrying a weapon and tried to kill the President.
On September 20, a man was arrested for pointing a red laser beam at Marine One, while the President was on board. Jacob Samuel Winkler was arrested and charged with a felony. His actions “posed a risk of flash blindness and pilot disorientation,” and “placed Marine One at risk of an airborne collision.” How was he allowed to get so close to President Trump?
At the United Nations building in New York City, on September 23, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were on an escalator when it stopped. They had to walk up the escalator in an incident that is under investigation. The President called the episode “absolute sabotage,” and posted “It’s amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first.”
Prior to the speech, The Times reported that “UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs.”
Before the President and First Lady started walking, they were stuck on the escalator, with no Secret Service protection nearby, in a building filled with people who hate him. This is another example of poor security for President Trump, but, in this case, the First Lady was also endangered.
Last Thursday, the Secret Service discovered a “hunting stand” in the woods adjacent to the Palm Beach International Airport. It had a perfect line of sight to the exact location where President Trump departs Air Force One.
What makes the disclosure especially worrisome is that the hunting stand was built “months ago.” If so, why did it take the Secret Service so long to discover it? This is an airport that the President uses frequently, and the surroundings should be thoroughly checked on a regular basis.
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News, “No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities.”
While the investigation continues, the American people are becoming all too familiar with security lapses involving President Trump. Since he faces countless threats, his protection needs to be top-notch. Regrettably, the incidents over the past 15 months have exposed shocking security breakdowns that are continually placing President Trump in serious jeopardy.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com
