Trump Assassination
© jonathancook.substack.comFormer President Donald Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents after the attempt on his life on July 13.
Former President Trump said he would continue holding large outdoor rallies just two weeks after he was nearly killed at one by a would-be assassin.

"I WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUTDOOR RALLIES, AND SECRET SERVICE HAS AGREED TO SUBSTANTIALLY STEP UP THEIR OPERATION," Trump posted in a defiant missive to Truth Social Saturday.

"THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF DOING SO. NO ONE CAN EVER BE ALLOWED TO STOP OR IMPEDE FREE SPEECH OR GATHERING!!!" he added.


trump butler rally assassination site
© ReutersFormer President Trump has vowed to begin holding outdoor rallies again.
Earlier this week the Secret Service urged Trump to forgo outdoor rallies due to their added security risks after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire at the former president's rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13.

Trump was grazed in the ear while retired firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, was fatally shot. Marine veteran David Dutch, 57, and retired grandfather, James Copenhaver, 74, were also seriously injured.

Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

Cheatle
© Mostafa Bassim/Getty ImagesUS Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle • US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability • July 22, 2024
In the days following Trump's brush with death, the Secret Service has come under scrutiny for security lapses. Agency director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday after intense questioning from bipartisan Congressional members.

Trump's Truth Social post is also a vote of confidence for the agency at large, after a number of critics have urged him to augment his campaign with private security.

Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, now serving as chair of the Republican National Committee, told The Post she had complete confidence in the agency to keep the former president safe.