Senate Report: Secret Service Failures to Blame for Attempt on Trump's Life

Above: Former Pres. Donald Trump prior to the assassination attempt on his life July 13, 2024. Image copyright: The Washington Post/Contributor/The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Despite the acting director of the Secret Service reassuring the public that his agency is capable of providing adequate protection to Trump and other high-profile Americans, the details of this report paint a different picture. The swath of people to blame is so wide, it's probably time for a major turnover and injection of more competent staff, who will ensure nothing like the Butler shooting ever happens again.

Pro-establishment narrative

The Secret Service doesn't need an overhaul in personnel, it needs to adjust its approach to protection from a reactive model to one that's better prepared ahead of time to prevent incidents like this from taking place. Trump's security has been increased, and further changes will be introduced to the Secret Service's strategies and processes.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 28% chance that the next assassination of a sitting US President will occur after January 1, 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


Public Figures


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