United States presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will resume holding outdoor rallies with increased Secret Service protection, two weeks after surviving an assassination attempt at an open-air campaign event.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform, “I will continue to do outdoor rallies, and the Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation. They are very capable of doing so,”
“No one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech or gathering.”
This decision comes after the Secret Service reportedly advised Trump’s campaign to opt for large indoor arenas instead of outdoor events following the assassination attempt. Trump was injured during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, when a 20-year-old gunman shot at him, killing one person and injuring two others.
The FBI confirmed on Friday that Trump was hit by a bullet or a fragment of one, clarifying the nature of the injury to his right ear. Investigators are still working to establish a motive for the attack, which led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Tuesday.
Cheatle acknowledged that the agency had failed in its mission of protecting high-profile politicians, revealing that the Secret Service was alerted “two to five times” about a “suspicious individual” at the rally but was unable to locate him before he opened fire.
Trump has made the shooting a key part of his campaign pitch, telling supporters that he “took a bullet for democracy” and vowing to return to Butler for a “big and beautiful rally.”
On Saturday, Trump and his running mate JD Vance were scheduled to hold a campaign event at an indoor arena in Minnesota, while Vice President Kamala Harris attended a fundraising event in Massachusetts.