During an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, former President Donald Trump openly questioned how his security forces missed the many warning signs of an assassination attempt that nearly took his life.
The attack claimed the life of Trump supporter and hero Corey Comperatore, who died while shielding his family with his own body.
The presidential front-runner also focused on how the team tasked with protecting him failed to secure a prime location for the attack – a rooftop where an assassin would ultimately take up position.
“How can that be possible when you have basically a flat open roof like that, with absolutely no obstructions and pointing straight at the target,” he questioned. “How could someone be up there, and he was up there for an extended period of time?”
The rooftop Trump was referring to was not flat, but slightly sloped.
“Trump supporters were yelling. A woman in a red shirt yelled, ‘There’s a man on the roof,’ and then other people said, ‘There’s a man with a gun on the roof.’ This was well before I got onstage, so you knew someone was going to do something,” Trump added.
They are I didn’t The inaction on this has left many critics perplexed.
RELATED: VIDEO: Secret Service director criticized and reprimanded by senators over Trump assassination attempt
Trump on security failures: Cory Comperatore is still alive
In his interview with Watters, President Trump suggested that the problem lay with local police and security forces, even though it was clear that his Secret Service troops were to blame for the entire incident.
he questioned the officer. The shooter was found on the rooftop. And he reportedly “fell down” when the weapon used to shoot Trump was first pointed at him.
“What did he do after he fell off the roof?” Trump asked. “Did he just walk away without saying a word?”
The Republican candidate suggested that an innocent man would not have been killed at his rally if his security team had responded with enough warning, communicated effectively with others and waited to assess the situation before he took the stage.
“If somebody had done that, (former fire chief) Corey (Comperatore) would be alive,” Trump said.
“Someone should have checked to make sure no one was on the roof. They said they didn’t have the personnel to do that, which is crazy.”
🚨Donald Trump has questioned why the gunman was allowed to continue climbing onto the roof and firing at him, despite his supporters having warned police beforehand. pic.twitter.com/5O6G7Lqsn8
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 23, 2024
RELATED: Secret Service reportedly had surveillance on Trump shooter for hours before he fired first shot, but lost sight of him when he went to get his rifle
Ask the Secret Service for answers
The Secret Service screwed up here.
According to various reports, Trump’s The security team was understaffed.They could not secure the rooftop where Crooks was sitting; There were multiple opportunities Intervene and thwart the attack.
Also, recently, the shooter Conducted drone surveillance He was identified as a suspicious person outside the target area after an attempted break-in hours before the shooting. Safe the area with rangefinderA device used by hunters to aim long-range shots.
Trump also slammed Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has been accused of allowing the assassination attempt to take place, for comments suggesting her elite security team could not secure a building with a slightly sloping roof.
“The roof was basically flat, so someone gave her misinformation when she talked about the slope of the roof,” he said.
“I think she clearly needs to be more forthright,” added J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate.
Many lawmakers are calling for Cheatle’s resignation after overseeing one of the biggest failures in Secret Service history.
