The president said many questions remain unanswered about the two would-be assassins, their actions, and possible co-conspirators.
President Donald Trump announced he is expecting a report from the Secret Service next week regarding attempts on his life last year, and if it’s possible to do so without jeopardizing security, he is inclined to make it publicly available.
“I want to find the answers,” Trump said on March 6 in the Oval Office. “I want to find out. I want to see it myself.”
Barring any potential complications, he said the goal is to release the documents.
“Maybe there’s a reason that we shouldn’t, and I don’t want to get too far ahead of my skis, but I’d be very willing to,” Trump said.
The president faced unprecedented violence on the campaign trail, being the target of two assassination attempts in the span of about two months.
Shots rang out in the early evening of July 13, 2023, while Trump was speaking to a crowd of supporters at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. One bullet struck his ear, and others hit supporters in the crowd, killing firefighter Corey Comperatore and critically injuring two others.
A Secret Service sniper responded within seconds, fatally shooting 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was lying on a nearby rooftop with a rifle.
After dropping to the ground with bullets flying, Trump rose to his feet and shouted, “Fight, fight, fight!” He was immediately shielded by his security detail and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of the wound to his upper right ear.
Trump’s popularity surged among multiple demographic groups following the first incident, and images of him with his fist raised and blood pouring down his face went viral on social media.
Initial investigations revealed that Crooks was using foreign apps, something the president said he’d like to learn more about.
Kimberly Cheatle, then director of the Secret Service, resigned amid a flurry of criticism that Trump’s safety was jeopardized due to security failures.
The second assassination attempt occurred on Sept. 15, 2024, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
