Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

Former President Trump plans to resume holding outdoor rallies despite a Secret Service recommendation to shift events indoors following an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. The incident has raised questions about the agency's security measures and the feasibility of protecting candidates at open-air events.

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Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

PITTSBURGH – Former President Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, is determined to continue holding outdoor rallies after surviving an assassination attempt at one in Pennsylvania on July 13. This decision comes despite the Secret Service urging him to shift his campaign events indoors, in what some experts view as an admission of failure.

Writing in all caps on his Truth Social platform Saturday, Trump declared that he would continue appearing before supporters outdoors. "I will continue to do outdoor rallies, and Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation," he wrote. "They are very capable of doing so."

Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

Speaking Saturday, Trump also praised the Secret Service detail that protected him during the rally and defended the agents who rushed to his side after shots rang out.

"Every one of them – there wasn’t one that was slow. A woman who was on my right, she was shielding me," he said. "Beautiful person – she was shielding me, everything she could. And she got crushed. And she got criticized by the fake news because she wasn’t tall enough."

Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

However, the Secret Service has now advised Trump that he should refrain from holding outside rallies, a move that has been met with skepticism by some security experts.

"The Secret Service now advising Donald Trump that he shouldn’t hold outside rallies is ridiculous," said Michael Balboni, a former New York lawmaker and Homeland Security adviser. "That is an admission the Secret Service suddenly can’t handle outdoor venues. What have they been doing for the last 20 years? Doing that. So why now? That was such an admission, that the service, with all of its resources and assets, can’t protect in an open environment."

Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

Balboni argued that it may be unprecedented to ask a candidate to confine his or her campaigning to indoor venues only. He pointed to former President Barack Obama, who held large outdoor rallies without any major security incidents.

"Barack Obama had 80,000 people at his rallies – could you tell him that?" he said.

Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

Trump is a polarizing figure, which makes him a potential target, Balboni added. "He's a tremendous target," he said. "How did that inform their preparations?"

An FBI investigation into the motive of the failed assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, is underway. Additional investigations are also being conducted by Congress and other agencies related to the security failure that allowed Crooks to bring a rifle onto a rooftop within 150 yards of Trump.

Secret Service Urges Indoor Rallies Amid Assassination Attempt, But Trump Vows to Continue Outdoor Appearances

"No one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech or gathering." — Donald Trump

Bill Gage, a retired Secret Service agent and a consultant at Safehaven Security Group, said the agency will likely face increased scrutiny all the way up to the new director's office.

"Politically, he needs to get back out there," he said of Trump. "He will look weak if he doesn’t do any more outdoor rallies. But from a professional take, it is problematic for the U.S. Secret Service. Every outdoor event will be fully scrutinized all the way to the director. Every single event will be beyond fully staffed and every threat or potential threat will be overly mitigated. This will further strain the agency during an already very active campaign season."

On Friday, Trump revealed that he would be returning to Butler for another rally to honor the bystander who Crooks killed with a stray bullet.

Crooks fatally struck 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and critically wounded David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.

Fox News' Ashley Papa contributed to this report.