Trump laments security lapses after assassination attempt in new interview

Former President Trump lamented security lapses at his recent rally in which he faced an assassination attempt during an excerpt of a Fox News interview set to air Monday.

“How did somebody get on that roof and why wasn’t he reported?” the former president said in the interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “Because people saw that he was on the roof.”

The former president faced an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa., last weekend. He was hit in the ear with a bullet during the shooting and has been recently sporting a bandage on that ear.

The U.S. Secret Service has been facing scrutiny in the wake of the shooting, with many questioning how the gunman had access to a roof that had a clear line of sight to Trump.

“You had Trumpers screaming, the woman in the red shirt, she was screaming ‘… man on the roof,’ and then other people… ‘There’s a man on the roof who’s got a gun.’ And that was quite a bit before I walked onto the stage. So, you would’ve thought somebody would’ve done something about it,” Trump said in the interview.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has also faced pressure and scrutiny from both sides of the aisle following the shooting. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called on her to resign on Wednesday, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for new leadership at the agency on the same day.

“The evidence coming to light has shown unacceptable operational failures,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the first congressional Democrat to call on Cheatle to resign following the incident, said in a statement posted on the social platform X Saturday. “I have no confidence in the leadership of the United States Secret Service if Director Cheatle chooses to remain in her position.”

The Hill has reached out to the Secret Service.