“On my way to Coachella, California!” said former President Donald Trump Saturday in a Truth Social post, adding that he planned to speak there at 8 p.m. ET.
As the GOP presidential candidate made his way to the California town most well known for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, there were concerns lurking around Trump. After two assassination attempts by Americans this year, The New York Times reported this week that the former president’s team made new requests to the U.S. Secret Service for the use of military aircraft.
“Trump campaign co-manager Susie Wiles made a bevy of requests to Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr., including providing military aircraft that can shoot down surface-to-air missiles as the former president campaigns in battleground states, according to a letter dated Sept. 30 Wiles sent to Rowe and that was reviewed by The Hill,” said that outlet Saturday morning.
According to The Hill, Trump’s team has cited threats from Iran in its request for added security.
In July, Trump faced his first assassination attempt and was injured at the hand of 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks in Butler, Pa. Last month, he faced another assassination attempt at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, was indicted Sept. 24 for that attempt, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release.
Following the attempt in Butler, the Secret Service faced scrutiny and former USSS director Kimberley Cheatle resigned. Its new director has called for a “paradigm shift” within the service.
In between the assassination attempts, Audacy reported in August that, a spokesperson confirmed Trump’s campaign had been hacked and that the hackers were linked to suspected threats from Iran. Currently, Iran is involved in war with Israel in the Middle East and the U.S. has been supporting its longtime ally, Israel. Trump has publicly supported potential plans for Israel to target Iranian nuclear facilities, Audacy also reported.
The Hill said Trump’s “advisers had gotten briefings from the intelligence community where they said that Iran is still planning to target Trump,” citing a source familiar with the matter that spoke on the condition of anonymity. This summer, Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged links to the Iranian government, was charged for a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Along with other evidence, the documents all but confirm that Donald Trump was the person Merchant was authorized to offer up to $1 million to kill,” said Time Magazine.
Armored vehicles, expansion of temporary flight restrictions over Trump’s residencies and rallies, and additional funding for local law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), were included in the Trump campaign’s request for more protection, per Wiles’ letter as quoted by The Hill. Wiles also asked the USSS to pre-place the ballistic glass in all seven swing-states at Trump’s outdoor rallies, the outlet added.
She explained that Trump’s ability to campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, has become limited because of threats it faces. Despite these limits, Trump has been hitting the campaign trail hard, with recent CSPAN videos showing him at events in Detroit, Mich., Aurora, Colo., and Nevada.
“Today, the former President is receiving the highest levels of protection,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, per a statement to The Hill. “The Secret Service will remain vigilant and continue to adjust and enhance its protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats.”
He said other enhancements the Secret Service has made include Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). Overall, Guglielmi said Trump is “receiving the highest level of technical security assets, which include unmanned aerial vehicles, counter unmanned aerial surveillance systems, ballistics and other advanced technology systems.”
The Hill noted that Guglielmi’s statement comes after Congress passed legislation earlier this month to improve security around political candidates. It also said Trump’s spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.