Biden strengthens Trump’s Secret Service protection after assassination attempt and orders investigation

President Biden said on Sunday he was “grateful” that Donald Trump was “okay” after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday night and spoke of the need for “unity” in these times.

The president said he had spoken to the Secret Service and instructed them to do everything they could to protect Trump in light of the shooting and to oversee security measures at the Republican National Convention.

“I ordered an independent national security review at yesterday’s rally to determine exactly what happened, and we will also share the results of that independent review with the American people,” Biden said in his speech at the White House.

“We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father who protected his family from the bullets fired.”

The president said he would make further remarks on the theme of “unity” from the Oval Office tonight.

The White House also announced that the president had postponed his trip to Texas planned for Monday.

Trump was shot in the upper ear on Saturday night by a gunman stationed across from the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The former president was able to avoid the shot to the head by moving at the last second and ducking after the hit. A bystander was fatally shot by the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Cook.

Biden changed his weekend schedule after the assassination attempt on Trump. The president returned to the White House from his home in Rehoboth, Delaware, after making remarks about the shooting at a police station.

“Look, there is no place for this kind of violence in America. It is sick. It is sick. It is one of the reasons we must unite this country. We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot be like this. We cannot tolerate this,” Biden said in his speech on Saturday evening.

“The bottom line is that the Trump rally was a rally that could have easily been held peacefully. But the idea that there is political violence or that violence like this is simply unknown in America is simply not appropriate.”

The two 2024 rivals also spoke on the phone on Saturday evening after Trump was led away from the rally.

The president, who is over 80 years old, has faced growing pressure from congressional Democrats and other close allies to suspend his 2024 presidential bid following his disastrous debate against Trump on June 27. The assassination attempt appeared to stall Democratic talks, at least temporarily, but Senator Chuck Schumer met with Biden in Rehoboth on Saturday.

When the news broke on Saturday, the White House initially described the shooting of Trump as an “incident.”

Trump said he is on track to deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention beginning Monday. The RNC is expected to go ahead as planned, but with increased security around its Milwaukee, Wisconsin, compound.