A months-long feud between former President Trump's campaign and the Secret Service under President Biden's administration is back in the spotlight as the Republican National Convention approaches on the heels of an assassination attempt on Trump.
“My staff and I are in contact with those coordinating security planning for the Republican National Convention and will remain in close communication as we learn more about this situation,” Gov. Tony Evers, D-Wis., wrote in X.
Trump was injured in an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, but was treated at a local hospital and is doing well. After shots were fired at the event, Trump was seen with blood on his face and being escorted off the stage by Secret Service agents.
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As plans were being made for next week's convention, where Trump will be named the official Republican presidential nominee, Republicans and law enforcement and Secret Service leaders were fighting over security measures.
In a May letter, Republican National Committee counsel Todd R. Steggerda wrote to Kimberly A. Cheatle, director of the Secret Service: “Your failure to act now to prevent these unnecessary and certain risks will endanger tens of thousands of convention attendees by inexcusably forcing them closer to the currently planned First Amendment Zone,” the New York Times reported.
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The Fiserv Forum remains illuminated at night ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 12, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The Secret Service dismissed Steggerda's concerns at the time, saying numerous meetings had taken place between staff and convention leaders and that they felt “confident in the security plan being developed.”
At the center of the security concerns was a First Amendment zone for protesters that would have initially allowed protesters to be in close proximity to convention attendees, something Republicans disagreed with. Republicans repeatedly pushed to move the zone farther from the convention site.
The RNC expects more than 50,000 people to attend the convention.
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Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with his bloodied face as multiple gunshots are heard during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
As Republicans sought to move protesters away from the convention site, activists were simultaneously working to gain greater access to the RNC. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Coalition to March on RNC 2024 had filed a lawsuit against Milwaukee, alleging that their First Amendment rights were being violated. The groups specifically wanted to march near Fiserv Forum, where the RNC would be held.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig struck down the groups by ruling that they do not have the right to protest directly in front of the RNC, according to the Associated Press.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump receives help from security personnel after gunshots were heard during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
At one point, Milwaukee's Democratic Mayor Cavalier Johnson described the standoff by saying, “The protesters would like to get on the stage at Fiserv Forum, and the RNC would prefer they were on the moon. But we have to find the right balance to make sure they can exercise their First Amendment rights. And I think we've accomplished that,” according to Politico.
However, the “balance” has come under scrutiny again following the assassination attempt on Trump.
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“The Director of the Secret Service needs to come out as soon as possible and tell us how this happened and how everyone attending the RNC and DNC conventions will be safe,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said on X.
Scott, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, also demanded a hearing before next month to get answers from the Department of Homeland Security, DHS and the Secret Service about how the assassination attempt could have occurred and how it is being investigated.
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The Secret Service and the RNC did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
In a statement following the incident, the Trump campaign reiterated its intention to attend the Republican National Convention, saying: “President Trump looks forward to joining all of you in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him as the 47th President of the United States. As our party's nominee, President Trump will continue to share his vision of Making America Great Again.”
