Once again, over the weekend, President Donald Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt. This time, the President was playing golf and was shot at by a man named Ryan Wesley Routh. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board explains:
One question is how Mr. Routh knew Mr. Trump would be golfing on Sunday at that course and how he knew where he could set up to target the former President. All the more so after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was allowed to shoot at Mr. Trump from a rooftop about 400 feet from where the former President was on stage in Butler, Pa.
The country is fortunate the Secret Service agent spotted the man, while other agents moved Mr. Trump to safety. The trauma of a successful assassination would make our current political distemper seem mild.
The Secret Service has raised the level of protection for Mr. Trump since the Butler debacle. But the debate was already raging on Sunday about whether the former President deserves the greater protection received by a current President. The simple answer is yes, and the same goes for Kamala Harris.
The risk level is too high these days to take chances. This will probably require Mr. Trump to change some of his habits, such as golfing only on courses where a shooter can’t get access. But the risks aren’t only from a lone gunman, if that is what Mr. Routh is.
We already know that Mr. Trump has been targeted by Iran, and it’s easy to imagine a foreign power or a domestic political group plotting to kill him now, while he’s a candidate and his protection is less intense than if he wins the election.
Especially after Butler and now West Palm Beach, the Secret Service cannot be seen as failing to protect the candidates. Any harm that comes to either nominee, but especially to Mr. Trump after two failed attempts, would lead to conspiracy theories that could lead to further violence. The country, and President Biden, can’t afford to tempt fate again.
Action Line: What needs to be done is to consider the measures that would be taken if there were an assassination on President Biden or VP Harris and apply them to Trump. Why this isn’t done immediately is an outrage and proof that some lives matter more than others as far as the media is concerned. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
