RFK Jr. will get Secret Service protection
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will receive protection from the U.S. Secret Service following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday.
Mayorkas informed reporters, “In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy, Jr. Both prior to and after the events of this past weekend.”
Former President Trump has joined the growing chorus of calls for Kennedy to receive Secret Service protection in the aftermath of the failed assassination during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump took to Truth Social to express that it was “imperative” for Kennedy to have the protection detail.
“Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!” Trump emphasized, referring to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and Senator Robert Kennedy, RFK Jr.’s father, in 1968.
In response, Kennedy viewed Trump’s comments as a “hopeful sign for our country when a political opponent calls for one’s protection. Maybe our country can unite after all.”
Kennedy also extended his gratitude to the Biden administration, posting, “Thank you to President Biden for granting me Secret Service protection. And I am so grateful to Gavin de Becker & Associates for keeping me safe for the last 15 months of my Presidential campaign.”
By early spring, Kennedy’s campaign had accrued $1.4 million in debt to a private security firm, as the Biden administration repeatedly turned down his requests for Secret Service protection. Kennedy criticized Biden for rejecting at least three protection requests throughout his 2024 campaign, dating back to the previous year.
The Biden administration had previously stated that Secret Service protection for Kennedy was “not warranted,” despite numerous documented death threats against him, according to a letter obtained by Deseret News.
Kennedy disclosed that he had a conversation with Trump on Monday morning about “national unity” and expressed his intention to meet with Democratic leaders as well. He asserted, “No, I am not dropping out of the race.”
In light of the shooting incident on Saturday, the Secret Service has elevated Trump’s protection “based on the evolving nature of threats to the former president and his imminent shift from presumptive nominee to nominee,” Mayorkas disclosed.
Mayorkas continued, “I cannot discuss specifics of the production protection or the enhancements made, as they involve sensitive tactics and procedures. I can say, however, that personnel and other protective resources, technology and capabilities have been added.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized the need for leaders to “lower the temperature” to prevent further political violence and work towards uniting the country.
“We need to lower the temperature. That’s what we need to do, lower the temperature, and unite the country,” she stressed. “That’s what this president, that’s the cornerstone of his presidency, is uniting the country. That’s what he wants to do.”
