(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump wants independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to "immediately" get Secret Service protection.
Later in the day Monday, it was announced that Kennedy would receive that protection.
A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man tried to assassinate Trump on Saturday at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Trump was struck in the ear, but survived. One spectator died and two others were critically injured in the shooting.
"In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection – immediately," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!"
Last year, Kennedy said President Joe Biden's administration denied his request for Secret Service protection. Kennedy is running as an independent against Trump and Biden.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, called on the Biden administration to grant Kennedy's request.
"I encourage @POTUS to immediately provide secret service protection for@RobertKennedyJr," Polis wrote on X.
A gunman assassinated President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, while the 35th president was riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Five years later, a man killed the 35th president's brother, Robert F. Kennedy. The Kennedy family suffered several other high-profile tragedies.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a son of Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of the U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
