Former President Donald Trump is expected to resume holding outdoor rallies as the New York Times reported that the Secret Service has approved a plan that would bolster security at such events.
Citing anonymous sources, the New York Times reported that bulletproof glass will be installed in front of Trump at rallies. The agency also reportedly will pull agents from President Joe Biden's detail to provide help for Trump's security.
The New York Times reported that the ballistic glass has been used at past events for Secret Service protectees , but the material is heavy and logistically difficult to move.
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Prior to Trump's rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, he was seen standing behind a glass wall. It was later revealed by then-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to the House Jan. 6 Committee that Trump had asked for weapon-detecting magnetometers to be removed from outside of the rally.
The rally preceded the counting of Electoral College votes from the 2020 election, which was interrupted by the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump has not held any outdoor rallies since a gunman wounded him at a Pennsylvania event on July 13. Trump tended to have outdoor rallies during his campaign prior to the shooting.
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Trump, who was wounded in his right ear in the attack, was addressing supporters when a gunman fired several rounds at him from a nearby rooftop. The incident has placed intense scrutiny on the agency as questions have emerged on how a gunman was able to access the rooftop so close to the rally and get a direct shot at the former president before getting fatally wounded by Secret Service agents.
Kimberly Cheatle told Congress one day before resigning as Secret Service director that the incident was the Secret Service's "most significant operational failure" in decades.
