Former President Donald Trump made a grand entrance at the Republican National Convention on Monday, flaunting a large white bandage over his right ear, a reminder of the assassination attempt that nearly took his life two days earlier.
But the real buzz wasn’t just about the bandage – it was about his mostly all-male security detail. As pointed out by a Daily Mail article, gone were the shorter, female agents who had been protecting him on Saturday. Instead, Trump was surrounded by a posse of at least ten tall men and only one woman, conspicuously placed at the back.
Short on protection: the social media roasts are a plenty.
The weekend’s events of the attempted assassination of Trump sparked a flurry of social media debates about the effectiveness of the Secret Service, especially Trump’s female agents. No doubt, his “protection” was a result of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle’s “30 by 30 Plan” where she announced that she wants 30% of the Secret Service to be female. Not to mention, it’s reported that those around the protectee aren’t always the ones normally guarding them – they could be pulled from other parts of the agency and aren’t used to the protocols. Ridiculous!
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The Director, under the illusion that she’s a competent leader, has refused to resign even though she’s been proven to be an abject failure. She had one job to do and she failed. She shouldn’t get another try.
Cheatle was appointed by President Biden in 2022 and before her stint as director, she guarded Cheetos as Senior Director in Global Security with PepsiCo. It’s possible that Biden doesn’t even remember that she’s the director though because he appears to call her a “he” in a recent interview when bragging about how on top of things that he was.
After the failed assassination attempt on Orange Man Bad, critics have pointed out that the shorter female agents struggled to protect the 6 ft 3 inch former president, with one particularly viral clip showing a female agent fumbling with her firearm. The snark was thick, and the conclusions were clear: short chicks just aren’t cutting it.
DEI initiatives under fire: diversify or die?
Critics argue that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the Secret Service are compromising the effectiveness of the organization.
Fumbled communications: Secret Service and local police fail.
Watching the videos of the Pennsylvania rally and hearing the interviews from the rally-goers, it was evident to see that security that day was one big FUBAR. A ladder up a building…police officers who saw the suspect and didn’t confront him…a slow local response to Trump supporters informing them of a possible threat…and the biggest FUBAR – leaving Trump on the stage during all of that.
If not for the Trump supporters pointing out the a-hole on the roof, who knows what would have happened. However, maybe we have to start yelling “shooter” or “gun” to law enforcement to get them to move a little quicker and get Trump off the stage when they KNOW there’s a threat in the crowd.
The blame game.
In the wake of the assassination attempt, questions arose about the communication breakdown between the Secret Service and local police. It seemed that the left hand didn’t know what the right was doing, resulting in chaotic scenes and a tragic loss of life.
Both sides were blaming each other and the Secret Service tried to tell everyone that they weren’t in charge of the outer perimeter. However, at the end of the day, it’s the Secret Service’s job to protect the president and make sure the locals (who might have NEVER protected a president) do their job.
The Oversight Committee in the Republican-led US House of Representatives has summoned Cheatle to testify at a hearing on July 22th, demanding answers about the agency’s preparedness and response. And we are also left with the FBI as the lead investigators to give us the truth on what happened. Good luck with that.
The official spin: damage control mode.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed concerns over female agents, calling the critiques “ridiculous” adding “These men and women put their lives on the line. What they’re doing is brave. We should not discount that, if it’s a man or if it’s a woman.”
The Secret Service, meanwhile, denied accusations that they had rejected requests for additional security, insisting that they had recently enhanced protective resources for Trump, especially after receiving some intel about Iran wanting to assassinate the former president.
The Biden administration also FINALLY got around to giving presidential candidate RFK Jr. Secret Service protection after what happened Trump rally – and after multiple requests from Kennedy. Bravo them (insert snark here).
The Secret Service needs to do better.
As the investigation continues, the focus should be on the Secret Service’s ability to adapt and protect high-profile figures in an increasingly volatile political climate. But in the meantime, it’s time to get rid of any DEI initiatives in the agency where gender or race is put before merit, ability and performance.
Or at the very least, get some taller women on the team.
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