Former President Trump moved the venue for his Saturday campaign rally in Wisconsin amid concerns over Secret Service staffing, two sources confirmed to The Hill.
Trump was reportedly expected to hold his campaign event outdoors at an airport, according to NBC and CBS News, which first reported details of the switch. The sources confirmed that his event was moved to a smaller venue given a shortage of Secret Service staff — the event also coincided with the United Nationals General Assembly.
“The agency was never configured to provide such an elevated level of protection for an increasing number of protectees. Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo,” a senior official briefed on the planning said.
“This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level,” the senior official noted.
The senior official also noted that acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe has been advocating for a “paradigm shift.”
“This paradigm shift would also position the agency to enhance its operational readiness to reduce reliance on external partners when providing heightened protection,” the official said.
An advisory on the Trump campaign website notes the event is scheduled to take place at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center.
U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi noted that the agency could not offer specifics on resources allocated for the event.
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“Former President Donald Trump is receiving heightened levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and our top priority is mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times,” Guglielmi explained. “Out of concern for operational security, we cannot provide specific details about resources allocated for event security or communications between agency personnel and our protectees.”
The Secret Service has been under heightened scrutiny in the wake of two failed assassination attempts against the former president, with the first attempt causing injuries to Trump’s ear.
A bipartisan House task force created to investigate the Trump assassination attempts held its first hearing Thursday. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee separately released a report this week which detailed shortcomings around the Secret Service’s handling of the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pa.