Donald Trump lays blame for assassination attempt on Biden and...

Donald Trump lays blame for assassination attempt on Biden and… Read More

Donald Trump has publicly blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for the failed assassination attempt against him last month, accusing them of making it harder for the Secret Service to protect him. Trump’s accusation, for which he provided no evidence, was made during an appearance on the television talk show *Dr. Phil* on Tuesday. His comments came after reports that several Secret Service agents from the Pittsburgh field office were placed on administrative leave following the incident on July 13.

During a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was grazed by a bullet when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop. Tragically, one rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were seriously injured in the shooting. The gunman was shot dead by a Secret Service officer on the scene.

“When this happened, people asked, ‘Whose fault is it?’” Trump told host Phil McGraw. “I think to a certain extent, it’s Biden’s fault and Harris’s fault. I’m their opponent. They were weaponizing the government against me, bringing in the whole Department of Justice to try and get me, and they didn’t seem too concerned about my health and safety.”

Trump further claimed that Biden and Harris made it difficult to ensure proper staffing levels within the Secret Service, leading to security vulnerabilities. In the days following the attempt on Trump’s life, the Secret Service acknowledged that the former president’s security detail had raised concerns about inadequate staffing and resources over the previous two years, with some requests for additional security reportedly being denied.

Since the shooting, the Secret Service has increased its protection of Trump, redirecting agents from Biden’s campaign security detail. This heightened security comes in the wake of widespread criticism, particularly from Republican lawmakers, of the agency’s handling of Trump’s safety. During a heated Capitol Hill hearing, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced intense questioning about the potential security lapses that may have contributed to the assassination attempt. Cheatle resigned shortly after the hearing.

Despite Trump’s accusations, there has been no evidence to suggest that Biden or Harris were directly involved in or interfered with the Secret Service’s security arrangements. Both Biden and Harris condemned the attack in the aftermath of the shooting. Biden, who was still the Democratic presidential nominee at the time, issued several public statements calling for a cooling down of the intense political rhetoric that has defined recent years.

However, in his interview with McGraw, Trump implied that Biden and Harris’s rhetoric may have contributed to the attempt on his life. “They’re saying I’m a threat to democracy,” Trump said. “They would repeat that line over and over again, and that can inspire assassins or potential assassins. That’s a terrible thing… Maybe that bullet was because of their rhetoric.”

The FBI has stated that the gunman acted alone and that there is no evidence to suggest he was motivated by ideological beliefs. Nevertheless, Trump’s comments during the interview were his most direct attempt yet to link the Biden administration to the assassination attempt. Previously, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to accuse Biden and Harris of failing in their duty to protect him.

“The Biden/Harris Administration did not properly protect me, and I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy. IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!” Trump wrote on Truth Social ten days after the shooting.

Trump has a history of making unfounded claims that Biden is using the power of the government to target him. He has repeatedly accused the president of weaponizing the Department of Justice and orchestrating the multiple criminal investigations that have pursued Trump since leaving office. In 2022, Trump also claimed that FBI agents were “locked and loaded” and ready to kill him during a raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to recover classified documents. The FBI has denied these allegations, stating that the raid was scheduled to ensure Trump would not be present and that agents were armed in accordance with standard procedures.

The Harris campaign has yet to respond to Trump’s recent comments.