After a recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, the Secret Service is pushing his campaign to abandon large outdoor rallies for safer indoor venues. The Secret Service has expressed serious concerns about the risks associated with Trump’s outdoor events, which often draw huge crowds and are challenging to secure. As a result, Trump’s campaign is now looking at basketball arenas and other indoor locations to hold future events, despite the higher costs and lower crowd capacity. This shift marks a major change for Trump, who has thrived on the energy and spectacle of his massive outdoor rallies.
According to persons familiar with the situation, following the former president’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Secret Service agents urged Donald Trump’s campaign to cancel major outdoor rallies and other events that drew sizable audiences.
Following the incident, Secret Service officials informed Trump campaign advisors of their concerns over future large-scale outdoor rallies, according to three people with direct knowledge of the situation reports in the Washington Post.
The individuals with knowledge of the situation described private conversations while speaking anonymously.
According to people familiar with the request, Trump’s team is looking at indoor sites for upcoming events, including basketball arenas and other sizable areas that can hold thousands of people. According to a person close to Trump, the campaign is not currently organizing any major outdoor events.
A spokesman for the Trump campaign chose not to respond. According to a Secret Service spokesman, the organization doesn’t discuss its security measures.
Since announcing his first presidential candidacy, Trump has conducted hundreds of outdoor rallies, frequently boasting about — and occasionally embellishing — the size of his audiences. Among his most ardent supporters, they have developed into something of a cult classic, complete with parking lot tailgate parties, vendors lining the open spaces close to the rally, and large traffic parades that frequently feature enormous pickup trucks.
Before Trump enters the stage, there are typically a lot of speakers, and the audience may have to wait many hours in the cold or heat. On occasion, the audience leaves before Trump—who is notoriously tardy—completes his remarks.
Airports are frequently the site of the demonstrations, but other large outdoor locations such as fairgrounds and football stadiums are sometimes used.
Former Trump spokesperson turned critic Sarah Matthews claimed that the president frequently became agitated if attendees were not ushered past the magnetometers fast enough if the outdoor venues did not soon fill up.
“We’ve seen from the early days of his presidency even, and before that during his first campaign in 2016, how important crowd size is to him. It gives him a lot of joy and energy being with large crowds. He feeds off their energy. It’s almost like a source of comfort for him,” said Matthews, who served as a deputy press secretary in the Trump White House.
The cost of indoor rallies is higher, according to campaign advisors. However, a campaign official who discussed confidential plans while speaking on the phone claimed that indoor events are intrinsically safer due to the ease with which access to a limited number of doors can be controlled and the reduced likelihood of line-of-sight problems.
“Obviously with an indoor venue, you have a capacity,” she said. “It doesn’t pack the same punch. There’s something about being at one of those outdoor rallies.”
The Secret Service has always considered the gatherings burdensome due to their complex outdoor locations that accommodate thousands, if not tens of thousands, of attendees. The majority of other previous presidents hardly ever make public appearances and when they do, it’s usually in smaller venues like conferences and eateries. Trump hosts so many major events that he needs a far bigger security footprint than previous presidents.
Agents typically arrive well in advance, organizing the enormous outdoor venues’ security.
Following the assassination attempt, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, stating to the agency’s workers that she accepted “full responsibility,” as per a copy of a letter acquired by The Washington Post from the agency.
According to a person familiar with the exchange, Trump associates informed the Secret Service at the beginning of 2024 that they intended to regularly conduct huge events and would require greater resources and protection. However, the two sides frequently clashed over resources, with the Secret Service turning down demands from Trump’s detail.
