Secret Service expected to campaign for Trump and Harris in Michigan
Detroiters’ reactions to the shooting at a Donald Trump rally
We spoke to Detroit residents following a Donald Trump campaign rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate the former president.
The U.S. secret service cannot and will not make the same mistake twice when Vice President Kamala Harris visits western Michigan on Wednesday or when former President Donald Trump heads to Grand Rapids this weekend, said the former head of the FBI in Detroit.
A gunman was able to assassinate Trump from the roof of a building during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Former Secret Service agent Andrew Arena expects the Secret Service to re-examine its list of potential threats in the future and make sure every agent is doing what they are supposed to do.
“Secret service is their job and they are the best in the world at it,” Arena said.
“Did they not have enough funds and resources? Did they simply overlook the building? Did someone have this assignment and not cover it? What went wrong here?” Arena asked about Saturday’s attack.
The rooftop from which the gunman fired would be a logical location for potential threats, Arena said – it was about 450 feet from Trump’s speech. Still, the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to shoot the former president, injuring his ear. One Trump supporter at the rally was killed and two others were seriously injured. The Secret Service fatally shot Crooks.
Arena described the assassination attempt as an “embarrassment” for the federal agency.
“This must not happen again,” he said.
Michigan is a crucial state for the candidates – whoever wins the upcoming election will likely need to win in Michigan. There have been at least eight visits to the state by President Joe Biden and Trump since February. That number does not include visits to Michigan by other high-ranking officials, such as Harris, who is expected in Kalamazoo on Wednesday.
Trump will take his newly announced vice presidential candidate, Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance from Ohio, on a campaign trip to Grand Rapids on Saturday.
According to Lt. Michael Shaw, a spokesman for the MSP, there is currently no heightened security threat in Michigan. The MSP is in contact with federal and state law enforcement, Shaw said.
Still, Arena said, the Secret Service may ask its local, state and federal partners in Michigan for more resources than usual, including more officers and other resources.
Detroit Deputy Police Chief Arnold Williams said that “we will do whatever the Secret Service ultimately asks the agency to do during future presidential visits.”
“Everything we do is in partnership,” Williams continued. They share information between the Secret Service and federal and state law enforcement, he said. The department also has its own security personnel in charge of presidential events.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Detroit Free Press. Grand Rapids police declined to comment on security measures and referred all questions to the Secret Service.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected].
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