Featured Image Credit: Getty/Anna Moneymaker
Topics: Donald Trump
Gerrard Kaonga
Donald Trump intends to give another speech at the location where he was almost killed now that significant changes to security have been introduced.
Back in July, the world was left stunned after a gunman attempted to assassinate former president Donald Trump while he gave a speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.
After the shots narrowly missed and grazed his ear, he was rushed off stage by Secret Service members, while also pumping his fists in the air furiously for the crowd.
The gunman - 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks - was shot and killed at the scene by Secret Service snipers.
Advert
Trump has described his return to Butler for another rally as unfinished business.
Speaking to NewsNation this week, Trump said: “I said that day when I was shot, I said, ‘We’re coming back. We’re going to come back.’ And I’m fulfilling a promise. I’m fulfilling, really, an obligation.”
Speaking ahead of his return at an Erie rally in the state, Trump said he was going to be returning to the scene of the shooting.
“We’re going back. That’s a big deal. We have a lot of people coming,” Trump said. “I think I’ll start the speech by saying, 'As I was saying'."
The former POTUS also praised some of the efforts of those around him when things kicked off.
"Everybody up there, they were amazing," Trump told the Erie crowd. "They had my back. They saw that we were in trouble."
However, the Secret Service has faced significant criticism for their security efforts during the initial rally. Secret Service officials said that on July 13, radio calls that a man was on the roof of a nearby building never made it to the agents protecting Trump.
While the venue is set to be the same, security is set to be amplified significantly.
A federal official familiar with the planning told CNN there will be a unified command center in order to quickly communicate any threats or issues with each other.
They added: "There will be people on the roof and there will be a much higher security footprint. You’re going to see a lot more enhancements."
The Pennsylvania State Police are expected to be taking a more active role in security for the event and there will be a larger local law enforcement presence.
Trump will also be surrounded by ballistic glass when he takes the stage as an extra measure.
Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement: “We are coordinating closely with the Pennsylvania State Police as well as local law enforcement in and around Butler Township. We are also leveraging other federal security resources to expand personnel and technology.”
This comes after a second assassination attempt was made on Trump, with a gunman being caught at the Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida last month.