What Trump Said On Secret Service's Plan Ahead Of Assassination Attempt

Former US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped death when a 20-year-old shot a 5.56 mm bullet from an AR-15 rifle at a rally in Pennsylvania's Butler on July 13. Mr Trump was shot in the ear, with blood spattered on his face, followed by a first pump. The picture is one of the most iconic frames in modern American political history. 

Speaking to Fox News, the former President mentioned his conversation with Secret Service Chief, Kimberly Cheatle, after the shooting, but he said that there should have been a guard on the roof from where Thomas Matthews Crooks, the 20-year-old shooter, fired.

"She came to see me. And, well, I mean, it went very nicely. She was very nice, I thought. But, you know, somebody should have made sure there was nobody on that roof," Mr Trump told Fox News. 

Ms Cheatle acknowledged that the US Secret Service, the premier agency that protects serving and former Presidents, failed in its mission to prevent the assassination attempt. The testimony came during a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.  

The Secret Service chief said that the roof from the shooter fire was identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally.

'130 Yards Is Like A One-Foot Putt'

Talking about the shooter's position, which came up during Trump's conversation with the Secret Service chief, the former President said, "That roof was a dead aim right onto the stage. And they said they didn't have the manpower for it, which is crazy. They said, 130 yards (130 metres) is like sinking a one-foot putt. It's considered close.

The Secret Service chief's admission to the "most significant operational failure in decades" comes after questions were raised on the agency's response to the threat. Ms Cheatle in her testimony admitted that the people in the rally alerted the Secret Service "two to five times" about a man on the roof but he was "not immediately classified as a threat".

'Biden Called Me'

In his interview with Fox News, Mr Trump talked about his conversation with US President Joe Biden, who said, "You're lucky you turned to the right", referring to the head tilt half a second before the bullet, which was aimed at his head, grazed his right ear, saving the former President. 

Trump called his chat with Joe Biden a "nice conversation". He added that the Secret Service agents wanted to carry him off the stage on a stretcher, to which he refused. "They wanted to put me on a stretcher," Trump said. "They had a stretcher, and they wanted to put me on a stretcher. And I said, 'I'm not going on a stretcher."

Ronny Jackson, former White House physician, now a lawmaker in Texas, gave the first detailed account of Trump's injury. Mr Jackson said, "The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear."