Trump blames political opponents for Secret Service staffing issues

Former President Trump on Monday blamed Democrats and the White House for Secret Service staffing issues that caused a recent rally to be moved to a smaller location, even as the agency has said it is providing heightened levels of protection.

Trump claimed Democrats, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, were “interfering” with his campaign by not providing adequate Secret Service protection. 

“They’re using them for themselves, even though they don’t need them – they draw ’flies’ – because they have no crowds, and for people like the President of Iran, who is doing everything possible to kill me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, a reference to an intelligence briefing he received about threats against him from Iran.  

“We need more Secret Service, and we need them NOW,” Trump continued. “It is ELECTION INTERFERENCE that we have to turn away thousands of people from arenas and venues because it is not being provided to us.”

In a separate post, Trump directly blamed Biden and Harris, the latter of whom is his opponent in November’s election, for the Secret Service’s staffing issues.

“I only hope all of those people that were turned away will blame the Creeps from the Harris-Biden Administration, namely, the Opposing Party, that did this to them,” Trump wrote.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Biden and Harris both spoke to Trump after the latest alleged assassination attempt against him, and Biden has said the Secret Service “needs more help.”

Trump over the weekend was forced to relocate a campaign event in Wisconsin because of concerns over Secret Service staffing as the agency also dealt with world leaders gathering in New York City for the United Nations.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service said in a statement Trump is being given “heightened levels” of protection, and “our top priority is mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times.

“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,” Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

A senior official briefed on the planning for Trump’s Wisconsin event said the agency was being pushed to its limits to maintain operations as it provides an elevated level of protection for an increasing number of individuals, including Trump. The official noted the Secret Service was responsible for securing the United Nations General Assembly, which was attended by 140 world leaders.

Secret Service has been under scrutiny in recent months in the aftermath of two separate assassination attempts against Trump, one at a Pennsylvania rally in which the former president was grazed by a bullet, and another at his Florida golf club in which the alleged gunman did not fire any shots.

The House unanimously passed a bill earlier this month that seeks to bolster Trump’s security following the second assassination attempt.

Congress has for weeks debated whether to provide the Secret Service with additional funding following the pair of assassination attempts.

While some leaders have floated a funding increase, other lawmakers — including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — have suggested the issue is one of workforce and resource allocation , not funding levels.