Former President Donald Trump's campaign has been advised by the Secret Service to stop holding outdoor rallies and events that draw large crowds following the assassination attempt against him on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump's team is scouting indoor venues, such as basketball arenas and other large spaces where thousands of people can fit, for upcoming events, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the request. The campaign is not currently planning any large outdoor events, a person close to Trump said.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Bojangles Coliseum, an indoor venue with a capacity of just under 11,000.
Trump's outdoor rallies have been spectacles for the large crowds he has drawn, such as a reported 100,000 for a May event in Wildwood, New Jersey, and a reported 50,000 to 55,000 for a July 2 rally in Pickens, South Carolina, a town with a population of about 3,400. At many of Trump's indoor rallies, thousands of people who couldn't gain admission waited outside to hear him over loudspeakers and video displays.
The rallies are often held at airports but are also held at fairgrounds, football stadiums, or other large outdoor venues. The one in Pennsylvania was held at the Butler Farm Show Grounds.
Indoor rallies are more expensive, campaign advisers told the Post. But one campaign official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private plans said the indoor events are inherently safer because it is easier to control who comes through a finite number of doors, and there are fewer line-of-sight issues.
Earlier this year, Trump advisers told the Secret Service they were planning to do large events regularly, and would need increasing amounts of protection and assets, a person familiar with the conversation told the Post. But the sides often fought over resources, with requests from Trump's detail being rejected by the Secret Service.
The rallies have long been viewed as onerous by the Secret Service because they include complicated outdoor venues with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people, the Post reported. Most other former presidents rarely appear in public, and when they do, it usually is in settings such as conferences or restaurants with fewer people. Trump has a much larger security footprint because he is running for reelection, requiring many large events.
Agents usually arrive well in advance, putting together a security plan for the large outdoor venues.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, telling staff that she took "full responsibility" for the security failures in Pennsylvania.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman declined to comment to the Post. A spokesman for the Secret Service said the agency does not comment on its protective methods.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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