Secret Service tells Trump to increase security after former president asked if it was safe to keep golfing
Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces
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White House Correspondent
Donald Trump has been advised by the Secret Service that he must significantly increase his security arrangements if he wishes to keep up with his favorite hobby – golf– following the second attempt on his life at his Florida course.
In a meeting with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces.
The president had asked him directly if it was safe for him to continue golfing regularly, The New York Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the conversation.
On Sunday, Trump was rushed off the golf course after Secret Service agents opened fire on a man poking a rifle out of the treeline at the Trump International Golf Club course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The man, later identified as 58-year-old Ryan Routh, was detained and appeared in court on Monday where he was charged with two gun offenses.
According to the newspaper’s sources, during their meeting, Rowe told Trump that prior planning would be needed if he wanted to continue safely playing golf. He said that it was difficult to secure his sprawling golf courses because they have so much open space, one of the people briefed on the meeting said.
Many of Trump’s golf courses are close to public roads, and the fact that photographers, using long-range lenses, can often capture Trump while out playing suggests that a gunman might be able to get a clear line of sight on him. The former president reportedly raised this concern with Rowe.
Rowe previously confirmed to reporters that Routh had not had a clear line of sight and had not been able to fire off any shots before he fled the scene.
It comes amid reports of tension between the Trump campaign and the Secret Service behind the scenes that has been escalating for the last two months following the first attempt on the former president’s life in July.
After the attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire with an assault rifle, striking Trump’s ear, the Secret Service advised the campaign against open-air rallies.
Trump appeared at his next scheduled event behind bullet-proof glass but has since resumed normal campaign activity.
According to The Times, Rowe told Trump that the Secret Service views the golf course at Joint Base Andrews as easier to secure than some of his courses, because it’s a military course.
Barack Obama is reported to have played there frequently during his presidency.
The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign about whether the former president will be adjusting his golfing schedule, or playing less, following Sunday’s incident.
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