Q&A of the Day – Donald Trump’s Level of Secret Service Protection
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Today’s Entry: Hi Brian, Regarding the second Trump assassination attempt, I believe that I just heard from someone in congress that Donald Trump’s protection was the same as when he was president. But, I believe that I heard the Palm Beach County Sheriff say that the protection was not at the presidential level. He would have provided protection at that perimeter. I do believe that the Sheriff is well aware of what that protection would be like. What are the facts?
Bottom Line: It’s a great question because there are multiple layers to this onion in addition to changes in the level of former President Donald Trump’s Secret Service detail. But there’s also another dynamic that’s in play and it has to do with protocols and that’s where local law enforcement comes into play. At the onset it’s important to note that what we’re informed of when discussing these matters comes in generalities rather than in specifics. In other words, we’re never officially told exactly how many agents are doing what, etc. But what we do know is that Trump has had three different levels of Secret Service protection, and we also have accounts of what the varying degrees of protection may look like. Those three are:
- Detail afforded to former presidents
- Increased detail following an Iranian assassination plot
- Presidential level detail
What is consistent, regardless of the level of Secret Service detail, is that they always run point for security in any setting. From exiting the White House, until some point earlier this year when the Department of Justice learned of a potentially credible Iranian assassination plot against Donald Trump, he’d had detail that was consistent with that of former presidents. But even that can be deceiving. Accounts from retired agents of former presidents have suggested that as few as four agents may be present with a former President of the United States, while as many as 75 have been reported to have protected a former president. The Secret Service has historically made adjustments dynamically and non-publicly based upon the perceived threat level for a former president. The reported need for 75 Secret Service agents pertained to extensive threats by Islamic terrorists against George W. Bush upon his exit from office. And that takes us to the second level of Secret Service protection.
In the immediate aftermath of the first assassination attempt of Donald Trump in July, a National Security Council official said that in response to the Iranian threat: NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday. In many ways that made the first assassination attempt that came within an inch of being successful that much more inexcusable. The Secret Service had theoretically “surged assets and resources” to thwart a possible Iranian assignation plot and a 20-year-old guy without formal training nearly pulled it off? It was following the first assassination attempt that Donald Trump was provided with a presidential level Secret Service detail and this brings us to today’s question.
There’s a difference between the number of Secret Service agents assigned to protect Donald Trump and the security protocols that are in place associated with protecting him. At the initial press conference following the second assassination attempt at Trump International in West Palm Beach, in response to a question from a local reporter about the level of security beforehand Sheriff Bradshaw said: “At this level that’s he is at right now (Trump), he’s not the sitting president, if he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, the security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible”. The important distinction here is that Sherriff Bradshaw was speaking on behalf of the PBSO about the size of the security detail provided by the sheriff's office, not the Secret Service. And here’s how this comes together.
When you have a sitting president of the United States maximum security resources at all levels are standard operating procedure when the president is moving around. In the case of any other official, even if say the same number of Secret Service agents are provided to Donald Trump, the same level of supporting law enforcement by local agencies may not be. That's the distinction. The local law enforcement security requests by the Secret Service haven’t necessarily been at the level that a sitting president would receive. Money can also factor into decision making as well.
When the PBSO, or any other local law enforcement agencies are called into service by federal authorities, there’s obviously a cost associated with it. The local law enforcement agency must account for that expense up front and then seek reimbursement from the federal government for expenses incurred. Palm Beach County is currently seeking $6.8 million from the federal government for the added expenses of the increased security provided by local law enforcement agencies since Donald Trump’s protection has been ramped up. We’d like to not think that budgetary considerations haven't necessarily factored in to the level of local support that the Secret Service had previously requested but it’s possible. The department operates on a budget allocated by Congress and there’s not exactly transparency in knowing how that money is spent or where they may stand. With Congress universally expanding Secret Service protections for former presidents and major candidates – I'd expect allocated resources to be less of a concern going forward.