Donald Trump demands answers over assassination attempts

President Donald Trump has told the Secret Service to give him “every bit of information” about the two assassination attempts he was victim to, saying the agency has “held it back long enough.”

The president made the comments in an interview with the New York Post.

Newsweek has contacted the Secret Service, via email, for a response.

Why It Matters

The Secret Service has faced intense scrutiny since the attempts on Trump’s life, with the congressional task force probing the assassination attempts calling for reforms to the Service in its final report released in December.

The July incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, raised significant concerns about coordination between local and federal law enforcement.

Critics pointed to failures in communication that allowed the gunman to position himself on a rooftop undetected, opening fire before a countersniper could neutralize the threat.

President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.

AP

What To Know

Trump made the order on Friday, saying, “I’m entitled to know.”

“I want to find out about the two assassins,” he said, “Why did the one guy have six cellphones and why did the other guy have [foreign] apps?”

“No more holding back because of [Joe] Biden,” he added, “I’m entitled to know. And they held it back long enough. No excuses.”

Two assassination attempts were carried out against Trump last summer—on July 13, when he was shot in the ear in Butler and on September 15, when a gunman is believed to have waited for more than 12 hours with a rifle where Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who also killed someone attending the Butler rally and injured two others, was killed by the Secret Service on the day of his assassination attempt.

Ryan Routh, 59, who is the suspect in the second attempt, was arrested on the day of his assassination attempt. He has pleaded not guilty and is set to face trial on September 8 this year.

In Trump’s comments, he was referring to six cellphones being found in Routh’s car after his arrest and the fact that Crooks reportedly had encrypted messaging accounts on several platforms in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany.

What People Are Saying

In the aftermath of the Butler assassination attempt, then Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said: “Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of [then] former President Donald Trump.”