Former President Donald Trump’s campaign requested additional security measures before the November election in an unprecedented move the campaign said is in response to lingering threats against him.
The requests include military aircraft for Trump to travel in, flight restrictions over his rallies and residences, pre-placement of ballistic glass in seven different battleground states, and multiple military vehicles for transport, according to emails reviewed by the Washington Post. No presidential nominee has requested or used military vehicles or aircraft during a campaign.
The requests are reportedly in response to government officials briefing Trump’s campaign advisers on Iranian threats, claiming that Iran is actively plotting to kill him.
In emails between Trump’s campaign manager Susie Wiles and Director of Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr., Wiles was displeased with the Secret Service’s “lack of personnel” that forced them to cancel a public event at the last minute, according to the outlet. Wiles said Trump’s campaign is being obstructed by threats but expects to hold many more events leading up to Election Day.
The campaign manager also said the government is not doing its job to provide a plan to protect Trump. With drones and missiles becoming a concern for the Trump campaign, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) wrote a letter to the Secret Service requesting military aircraft or additional protection for Trump’s private plane.
The requests escalate tensions between the Trump campaign and the Secret Service following two assassination attempts on Trump this election season. The Secret Service has consistently upped its protection for Trump but not to the extent the campaign wants.
“Since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13, the U.S. Secret Service has made comprehensive enhancements to our communications capabilities, resourcing and protective operations. Today, the former president is receiving the highest levels of protection,” the Secret Service said in a statement to the New York Times.
There has been no evidence tying Iran to the assassination attempts on Trump, but the FBI has not ruled out the possibility. In June, two undercover FBI agents met with Asif Merchant, of Pakistan, who was looking to hire someone to assassinate an American politician on Iran’s behalf, according to charges revealed in August. The knowledge of the plot prompted national security officials to inform the Secret Service about potential Iranian threats on Trump.
Merchant was arrested on July 12, a day before Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. There was no motive found for the Butler shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks was a registered Republican, had made a small donation to a liberal PAC in the past, and had photos of President Joe Biden and Trump on his phone, as well as a search history of past assassinations.
Trump has repeatedly asked campaign advisers and U.S. officials if Iran was behind both the Butler assassination attempt on July 13 or the West Palm Beach, Florida, assassination attempt on Sept. 15. Some of Trump’s advisers have reportedly become convinced that Iran was behind the attempts.
Where there have been no foreign ties found to the assassination attempt, federal authorities did find that Iranian hackers stole sensitive campaign information and tried to release it to media outlets and the Biden campaign. An indictment concerning Iranian nationals released on Sept. 27 said that one of Trump’s lawyers, former CIA officials, and a former U.S. ambassador were all targeted in a wide-range, yearslong effort.
Iran is under intense scrutiny by U.S. law enforcement, intelligence services, and foreign partners, making it difficult for them to get access to the United States. Biden told the National Security Council to inform Iran’s government that any attempts on Trump’s life would be viewed as an act of war. The president also said he told the Department of Homeland Security to meet Trump’s new requests for increased security during the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.
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Trump has significantly ramped up his own security, too. When attending a college football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he had 150 metal detectors deployed to the stadium, as well as bullet-resistant glass. When he returned to Butler on Oct. 5, on-site security included drones, snipers, tactical teams, undercover officers, and helicopters.
He has also begun referencing the reports of Iranian threats at his campaign events. At a news conference in Milwaukee on Oct. 1, he told reporters, “You’re in danger right now because of them and their challenge to me.”
