Despite Trump’s claims, Biden spoke with Trump and “conveyed his relief that he is safe,” White House senior deputy press secretary Emilie Simons said, according to ABC US. “The two shared a cordial conversation and former President Trump expressed his thanks for the call.”
Later Trump said he had a “very nice” conversation with Biden. “It was about Secret Service protection,” he said.
In the aftermath of the latest apparent attempted assassination, some progressive social media accounts shared claims that Trump – whose campaign has struggled to recalibrate since Harris became the Democratic nominee – somehow orchestrated the situation that unfolded on Sunday.
Conservatives and allies of Trump, on the other hand, lashed out at Democrats for the attacks on his life, with some even suggesting there would be more to come.
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“This is very unlikely to be the last time they try to kill Trump,” far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X. “They will not let him win and will do anything to stop him.”
Elon Musk also weighed in, posting on X – and then deleting – a post suggesting it was odd that nobody had tried to kill Biden or Kamala Harris. He later claimed it was intended as a joke.
On Monday, Biden told reporters that he was glad Trump was safe, but said the Secret Service, which has long had staffing problems, “needs more help” in the form of additional personnel.
The Secret Service, which protects US presidents and presidential candidates, has been under intense scrutiny since the earlier attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July, the agency’s director stood down over the failure to stop a 20-year-old gunman from opening fire at the former president.
Trump will meet with the acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, to discuss his future security arrangements this afternoon at Mar-a-Lago.
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