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Most accidents, disasters, and tragedies happen because of a chain of mistakes. If someone had made a different decision at one point in the chain, the disaster likely would have been averted. The attempted assassination of Trump was no exception. Here are the decision points that I have seen (and I don't hold myself out as a security expert by any means):
- Why was the building from which the sniper fired not occupied by police? Did the advance team fail to note it? Were there too few Secret Service agents assigned to Trump to occupy it? Did someone fail to take his assigned position? Did the counter-sniper teams figure that they could cover it from their other positions?
- Why did the concerns of bystanders who saw a man with a rifle not get relayed to the Secret Service? Or if they were, why was there no effective response? Why didn't the policeman who climbed to the roof of the building arrest or kill the shooter?
- Why didn't the counter-sniper team preemptively fire at the sniper? Were they waiting for permission?
- It took a very long time to evacuate Trump once they had covered him behind the podium. Someone said, "Let's move," but the agents seemed to struggle to get Trump up. Haven't they practiced with someone of Trump's height and weight? Or was there another reason?
- Why does the small female agent join the scrum around the president at about 1:30 in this video? She is smaller than all the men, which leaves Trump's head exposed. If there had been a second sniper, this would have been an opportunity for a kill shot. And it provided an opportunity for Trump's iconic fist pump and "fight, fight, fight." Trump is a tall and not thin man, so you need large agents to protect him. What if Trump had been incapacitated and had to be carried out under fire? It would have been impossible. She also is one of the agents who assists the president down the staircase but seems to have a hard time doing it, which again leaves him exposed. Was she a DEI hire?
- Why did the agents permit Trump to do a final fist pump at the SUV door? Again, another opportunity for a kill shot by a second sniper. They should have bodily shoved him into the SUV immediately, which they eventually did.
- Why did 3 female agents mill about as the presidential SUV was preparing to depart? (One is the infamous agent who adjusted her sunglasses.) They seem not to know their responsibilities in that situation. DEI hires?
There were some good things that I saw as an amateur observer. The cover team was on Trump within 3 seconds of the first shot, and they shielded him fearlessly and skillfully for the most part. They didn't hesitate and look toward the sound of the shooting, which often delays less skilled cover teams. It shows excellent training to overcome that instinct.
The counter-assault team (Hawkeye) was on the platform quickly and stood tall to block shots while being prepared to return fire.
The counter-snipers (Hercules) did their job effectively once they were released.
I'm sure there were many other Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers who performed heroically, fearlessly, and skillfully. And they were the ones who prevented it from being a much worse day.
Discussion (41)
How someone could see the sniper and not stop him is beyond me.
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I am told that USSS policy is to not shoot first. That seems like a dumb policy. A guy with a gun at a presidential candidate rally seems to have shown his intention by being there.
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If they were unsure whether he had a gun, that would be one thing. But assuming they could see the rifle with sufficient confidence, bear-crawling up the hidden side of a building roof with a gun at a presidential rally would seem to be sufficient cause to shoot. Or at least to alert the cover team to get the president off the platform.
I'm glad the USSS doesn't normally shoot first and ask questions later. I lived in a country for 11 years where the presidential security detail was always right. If they ran you over in an SUV, you should have been more careful. Or if the presidential motorcade passed by, you made sure not to make any sudden movements. It could be a tense time.
But maybe the USSS has lost its decisive edge.
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If this is true, why didn't they pull Trump off the stage? Why did they let him stand and speak and get shot?
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I read on X.com that most of the USSS agents working Saturday were substitutes, since the regular crew were tired from working events earlier in the week.
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