Donald Trump has defended the ‘brave’ female Secret Service agent who ‘butted’ him in an assassination attempt after she was attacked by online trolls.
The former president praised the female agent and said he ‘wanted to take a bullet’ in the fire after critics suggested women were not qualified for the position.
Trump survived an attempt on his life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and was quickly bundled off the stage by the Secret Service.
But many commentators have seized on the failure so far and raised concerns about the physicality and professionalism of women in such situations.
“Nobody’s slow, the woman on my right, she’s a beautiful person,” Trump told a crowd at a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Saturday.
Donald Trump has defended the ‘brave’ female Secret Service agent who ‘butted’ him in an assassination attempt after she was attacked by online trolls.
Trump managed to save his life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and was quickly bundled off the stage by Secret Service agents including a woman who came under fire for ‘not being tall enough’ to protect the former president.
‘He protected me with everything he could and he was criticized for fake news because he wasn’t tall enough.
‘He was so brave, he protected me with everything, he wanted to take the bullet.’
The Republican nominee decided to respond after criticism from pundits, lawmakers and high-profile donors.
‘There are no women in the Secret Service,’ Daily Wire show host Matt Walsh posted on X.
‘This is supposed to be the best, and none of the best in this job are women.’
“Having a small person is a body cover for a big person is like a Speedo that’s too small on the beach – it doesn’t cover the subject,” said X owner Elon Musk. ‘It can be male or female, so it’s clear, it just has to be big enough to do the job.’
The former president praised the female agent and said he ‘wanted to take a bullet’ after critics suggested women were not qualified for the position.
Right-wing commentators seized on the failure to date and raised concerns about the physicality and professionalism of women in active shooter situations
The edited video, which has garnered millions of views online, shows one of the female Secret Service agents struggling to steal the gun after only reinforcing the comment.
Sexist comments were also made about former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, with many suggesting she was only hired to meet diversity, equality and inclusion goals.
Cheatle resigned over a series of security breaches that allowed gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire at a July 13 rally, despite being known as a suspect in the hours before.
He was hounded by the Senator at the GOP National Convention by angry lawmakers demanding answers.
‘DEI results in DIE,’ Rep. Cory Mills told Fox News. ‘We need to understand this about meritocracy. This is not about quotas.’
The Secret Service is about 25 percent female, employing about 2,000 women.
Former agent Melanie Burkholder told NewsNation that all candidates will be rigorously vetted.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi also denied the sexist analysis.
This 2021 photo provided by the Bethel Park School District shows gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is the target of baseless sexist speculation that she was only hired to meet diversity targets.
“It is an insult to women in our agency to state that they are not qualified based on gender. Such baseless statements undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise of our workforce,” she said in a statement to CNN.
‘Our commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion ensures that we attract the best talent, fostering strong and effective teams that reflect the communities we serve.
‘We stand united against any attempt to discredit our personnel and their invaluable contribution to our mission and are appalled by disparaging and disgusting comments against any of our personnel.’
However, the agency has come under careful scrutiny after the shooting and a catalog of failures that allowed Crooks to proceed unchallenged to the rooftop where he shot Trump.
While the former president escaped, firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed trying to protect his family from bullets.
Since then, Crooks has been spotted hours before rallies, with concerned attendees signaling his presence to law enforcement.
The Secret Service has been carefully scrutinized after the shooting and cataloged the failures that allowed Crooks to proceed unchallenged to the rooftop where he shot Trump.
It took close to 30 minutes for those who wanted to protect the former president to find out that the one who would kill him had climbed the roof and got a position just 100 feet from Donald Trump speaking.
The video revealed that there were 43 seconds between the first series of pops heard and the Secret Service agent saying: ‘Shooter’s down.’
But despite the speed of the reaction – the question remains in the initial response.
Video of the scene before the gunfire began shows people talking to local police and appears to point to the roof of the building where Crooks has been lying in wait.
Another man was heard leading the officers to the top of the roof.
A witness told KDKA that the shooting began moments after he told the police that he had seen Crooks.
Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe said officers with Butler County Township were hoisted on the roof where they found Crooks.
“All I know is that the officer had both hands on the roof to get up on the roof, he never did because the shooter had turned to the officer, and rightfully and smartly, the officer let go,” Slupe said.
The roof will be identified as a potential safety risk and should therefore be swept, according to experts.
