Trump issues fiery response after Secret Service warned him to stop outdoor rallies in wake of assassination attempt
Former President Donald Trump has boldly said he will continue holding outdoor rallies after the Secret Service warned him to stop doing so following his assassination attempt.
On Saturday morning, he took to his Truth Social platform again and insisted a bullet won't stop him from hosting another open-air gathering.
In all caps, Trump wrote: 'I will continue to do outdoor rallies, and Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation. They are very capable of doing so. No one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech or gathering!!!'
Trump's announcement comes just hours after confirmed he will be returning to the very spot he was shot for a 'big and beautiful rally.'
'I will be going back to Butler, Pennsylvania, for a big and beautiful rally, honoring the soul of our beloved firefighting hero, Corey, and those brave patriots injured two weeks ago. What a day it will be - fight, fight, fight! Stay tuned for details,' he wrote, once again in all caps, on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump hit back at the Secret Service after saying he'll continue to host outdoor rally's even after he was shot two weeks ago (pictured) in Butler, Pennsylvania
On Saturday morning, he took to his platform again and insisted that a bullet won't stop him from hosting another outdoor gathering
The presidential candidate, who is set to be questioned by the FBI about he assassination attempt, did not specify when that rally will be held.
At a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania just two weeks ago, 20-year-old registered Republican and Biden donor, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on the presidential candidate.
A bullet struck Trump in the ear as Secret Service agents circled around to shield him. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old retired fire chief for Buffalo Township, was killed while two other men were left in critical condition.
The FBI has yet to receive a victim statement from Trump as the agency collects evidence to investigate the horrifying event, an official said.
The bureau's director Christopher Wray sparked a firestorm on Wednesday when he testified to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that there are still 'some questions' about whether the former president was struck with a bullet or shrapnel.
'With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,' Wray said.
'I don't know right now whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have landed somewhere else.'
The presidential hopeful has since given extensive accounts of the moment he was shot and was seen sporting a bandage over his ear.
In a subsequent statement Trump sought to clarify Wray's remark.
On Friday, Trump took to his platform Truth Social and confirmed he will be returning to the very spot he was shot for a 'BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY'
Trump was quick to refute any suggestion that he was hit by shrapnel, saying he was struck by 'a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard.'
He posted on his Truth Social: 'There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a "bullet wound to the ear," and that is what it was. No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!'
The former president's campaign also railed against the notion that Trump was struck by shrapnel as opposed to a slug.
'Anyone who believes this conspiracy bulls**t is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons,' Trump campaign adviser Steven Cheung told CNN.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned after appearing before Congress on Monday, was ripped to shreds by lawmakers during a grilling over Trump's assassination attempt.
Furious Democrats and Republicans peppered the embattled Cheatle with questions about how would-be assassin, Crooks, was able to open fire on the former president.
She avoided directly answering questions about whether she denied Trump a bigger protection detail, whether she focused on diversity and inclusivity during hiring, and doubled down on not having an agent on the gunman's roof during the brutal hearing on Capitol Hill.
20-year-old registered Republican and Biden donor, Thomas Matthew Crooks , opened fire on the presidential candidate on July 13. Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed while two other men were left in critical condition
In a staggering moment, Cheatle also admitted that her agents on the ground had been warned between two and five times how many times a 'suspicious person' was reported before Trump took the stage.
Cheatle previously insisted she was the best person to lead the scandal-hit agency, even though she admitted 'full responsibility' for the massive security failure.
Trump recently revealed what he really thought about the Secret Service and even disclosed another glaring oversight that took place that day.
He said he was not warned about his attacker by the Secret Service - despite agents receiving worrying reports from rally-goers before Trump even got on stage.
Trump told Fox News host Jesse Watters that 'nobody mentioned' the gunman, despite the fact that he was being monitored for 'an hour' before the shooting.
'Mistakes were made,' Watters told Trump. 'They were monitoring this guy for an hour beforehand. No one told you not to take the stage?'
'Nobody mentioned it,' the former president replied. 'Nobody said it was a problem.'
'[They] could've said, "Let's wait for 15, 20 minutes, 5 minutes." Nobody said…I think that was a mistake,' he added.
Trump, along with the rest of the United States, later questioned how Crooks could have possibly made it onto the roof to begin with.
'How did somebody get on that roof?' Trump questioned. 'And why wasn't he reported, because people saw he was on that roof.'
Trump revealed that security agents were alerted that someone was on the roof with a gun before he even walked out on stage - and did not stop him from doing so.
'When you have Trumpers screaming, the woman in the red shirt, "There's a man on the roof," and other people, "There's a man on the roof and who's got a gun,"…that was quite a bit before I walked on the stage. And I would've thought someone would've done something about it,' Trump said.
In the weeks since the shooting, Trump has been sporting a large white bandage on his injured ear. He has since been covering his ear with a band aid. (pictured: Trump on July 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
He's headlining a rally Saturday in St. Cloud, Minnesota, alongside running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance on Saturday. (Pictured: Trump and Vance on Fox News Hosts' Jesse Watters show)
Trump was left with a minor injury from the shooting - but the result could have been far worse if he had not, at the very last minute, turned his head slightly.
The former president attended each day of the Republican National Convention with a large white bandage over the injured ear. He then wore a band-aid for several days.
His former physician-turned Congressman, Ronny Jackson, released a detailed report about Trump's health on Saturday.
'He will have further evaluations, including a comprehensive hearing exam, as needed. He will follow up with his primary care physician, as directed by the doctors that initially evaluated him,' Jackson said.
He's headlining a rally Saturday in St. Cloud, Minnesota, alongside running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance on Saturday.
Trump announced a Wednesday rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, located in the center of the state.
The Republican nominee has been holding all of his campaign events indoors since the July 13 shooting.
