Former President Donald Trump now speaks at rallies surrounded by bulletproof glass. When he steps off his plane, a Secret Service agent follows him closely down the stairs. And Trump hasn’t played golf since an apparent assassination attempt last week.
On Wednesday, Trump said on social media that “major threats on my life by Iran” have changed his life on and off the campaign trail.
“I am surrounded by more men, guns and weapons than I have ever seen before,” he wrote in posts on Truth Social and X.
After speaking at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump was surrounded by a larger-than-normal number of Secret Service agents, who carefully monitored Trump’s direction as he approached the rope line to greet his supporters.
Protocols for Vice President Kamala Harris have also changed recently. She, too, is surrounded by bulletproof glass at outdoor rallies. Counter-strike teams, protective intelligence and enhanced drone systems have all been “enhanced” in recent weeks, according to a law enforcement official who, like others in this article, requested anonymity to speak candidly.
Congress just approved funding for both Harris and Trump to receive presidential-level protection, in what one security expert called unprecedented. And in another sign of the heightened protection, a black tarp now obscures what was once a clear view of Harris boarding Marine Two at the Naval Observatory in Washington.
The changed environment for the two major party presidential candidates is emblematic of how the campaign has evolved after two attempts to assassinate Trump since July, as well as a continued threat from Iran against Trump.
The threats hang over Trump and Harris at a crucial moment in the race, with the potential to fundamentally change how they reach voters. With less than six weeks to go, it’s a time when candidates historically accelerate their travels to swing states, often with large rallies.
“They all now have presidential-level protection from the U.S. Secret Service, which has never happened before,” said Evy Poumpouras, a former Secret Service agent. “Everything is at a much higher level now. And they are extremely hyper-vigilant right now.”
Poumpouras said presidential-level protection could include the deployment of a counter-assault team, a counter-surveillance unit, an anti-sniper unit and bulletproof vehicles.
“It is done because there are two attempts [against Trump]“Attempts historically happen once every couple of decades,” she said. “You don’t typically see attempts happen back-to-back like we saw with President Trump … so that combined with their reporting that the volume of threats that they’re getting just really has a capacity that they’ve never seen before.”
Last week, the Secret Service made an extraordinary admission that it needs a “paradigm shift” in how it protects its executives. That came after Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director in late July amid criticism of the service’s handling of security before a gunman fired multiple bullets into Trump’s ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. One person was killed and two others were wounded in the shooting.
Despite the agency’s heightened scrutiny following that security lapse, another assassination attempt occurred last week at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. A Secret Service agent spotted a gun poking out of bushes outside the course and fired, sending the gunman fleeing.
The suspect, Ryan Routh, was later arrested. According to a criminal complaint, he had been waiting in the bushes for 12 hours. Authorities found a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle in the bushes, with a scope whose serial number had been “obliterated.”
It’s all a marked shift from the 2020 campaign, when pandemic concerns dominated, limiting candidate Joe Biden’s movements and briefly stymiing Democrats’ door-to-door canvassing. Republicans took a different approach, with Trump, then president and fresh from Covid himself, racing into swing states and holding rallies.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said at a news conference last week that the agency needed more resources. While Congress just approved additional funding, a senior official said Wednesday that the Secret Service will ask for more later.
A law enforcement official said there have been “significant security improvements” in both Harris’ and Trump’s operations since the Butler meeting, with the candidates now enjoying the “highest level of protection” the Secret Service can provide to anyone, anywhere in the world.
On Tuesday, police investigated shots fired at a Democratic Party-coordinated Harris campaign office in Tempe, Arizona. Police said in a statement that they are taking extra security measures during the investigation to “ensure the safety of staff and others in the area.”
This week, for the first time, an agent was seen following Trump as he descended the steps of his plane, one of the most visible signs of extra security.
“Given recent events, the Secret Service is taking a heightened stance in its protection of the former president,” an agency official said of the extra security. So far, the agency is not expected to have an agent follow Harris off the plane, as countersnipers are always present when Air Force Two takes off or lands, the former law enforcement official said.
Another change is that access to Trump’s daily travel schedule, long available not only to staffers but also to some allies, has recently been limited due to security concerns, a person familiar with the matter said.
But that person said Trump had no plans to retire from golf, calling it a social outlet for him.
“You can’t stop Donald from playing golf,” the person said.
Still, a second person familiar with the discussions surrounding Trump’s protection said that both the Secret Service and the Trump campaign recognize that some locations are safer than others. Since the second apparent assassination attempt on Sept. 15, the person said, Trump understands that golfing increases his exposure, particularly at certain courses that are more accessible to the public.
“There are golf clubs that are easier to secure, and there are golf clubs that are harder to secure,” the person said.
Secret Service agents have shown both Harris and Trump clear threat assessments, pointing to environments where they are at greater risk. Golf falls into that category, according to a senior administration official and someone familiar with security discussions.
In addition to the recent assassination attempts on Trump, there is a continuing threat from Iran. In a statement Tuesday, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung revealed that Trump had received an intelligence briefing on Iran.
“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence about real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize the United States and sow chaos,” Cheung said.
A Trump campaign official said there are no intentions to change or modify the campaign after the briefing.
And on Oct. 5, Trump plans to return to the Butler Farm Show grounds, 12 weeks after he was shot in the ear. Trump had been making that point since his July 13 injury, saying he planned to return for a “big, beautiful rally.”
This time, however, the meeting will take place with added security, meaning he is expected to be behind bulletproof glass if the meeting takes place outside.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
