Former President Donald Trump’s hope to resume outdoor rallies is closer to becoming reality after the Secret Service made arrangements for Trump to have a three-sided bulletproof glass panel surrounding his podium.
While ballistic-proof glass is typically reserved for sitting presidents, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle included it as one of the new security measures for Trump following the attempt on his life on July 13.
During an outdoor rally in Butler Pennsylvania, a 20-year-old gunman fired multiple shots at the former president from the roof of a nearby building. Trump was nicked in the ear by a bullet, but two members of the crowd were seriously injured and one person was killed.
That was the first assassination attempt on a presidential candidate since George Wallace in 1972 and the first on a current or former president since Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Since the attempt on Trump’s life, all of his rallies have been held indoors, much to the dismay of the former president.
“They’d prefer that we be in an arena,” Trump said during an indoor venue in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, two weeks after the assassination attempt. “I don’t know why. But we’re not giving up the outdoor rallies. You know, all those people that we had to turn away today, at an outdoor rally you can have.”
Former Secret Service agent Don Mihalek told ABC News that the bulletproof glass is not so simple to transport.
“This isn’t just a piece of glass but a large, bulky, and heavy armored glass that will require extensive logistics capability, normally reserved for large-scale outdoor events,” Mihalek told ABC News.
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The Secret Service has reserved multiple UpArmored glass panels for the former president, and they will be stored in different locations throughout the country. When needed, they will be able to be transported to where Trump is speaking.
Since the attempt on Trump’s life, personnel from President Joe Biden’s personal Secret Service detail have been transferred to the former president. That comes as Trump faces increased risk levels and Biden’s travel schedule has been greatly reduced.
