GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Federal authorities have sought to move quickly after what the FBI has said appeared to be an attempted assassination against former President Donald Trump on Sunday at his golf club in West Palm Beach.
Trump took to Truth Social Sunday night to thank authorities for their response that kept him safe.
"THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING," the post read. "I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"
While the possible motives of the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, are still under investigation, condemnation of potential political violence has been swift.
"It's horrific that people that that violence has become a more clear and present part of our political culture here in America," Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D-Mich.) told reporters Monday. "That's disgusting."
"It's un-American, at least if Americans are doing our best," he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's challenger in the current race for the White House, put out her own statement on social media Sunday.
"I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today," the post read. "As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence."
According to ABC News, President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that the Secret Service "needs more help."
One local former secret service agent told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that things like private assets and leveraging technology could assist given the circumstances.
"I think it's going to have to be probably some creativity, right?" said Jason Russell, who served in the Secret Service from 2002 to 2010 and now works in private security consultation. "It's really difficult to get people hired. Obviously, every law enforcement agency is dealing with kind of that struggle with retaining, you know, attracting, retaining talent. Secret Service certainly is not immune to that. And then also the requirements and the the difficulty of becoming an agent is, you know, pretty significant."
Russell said, this time, he believes the system worked.
However, he added, the events of the weekend likely will be followed with change.
"So I think what you're going to see is on these more, maybe more predictable, off-the-record movements, just a general increase in law enforcement presence overall," Russell said.
With Trump set to visit Flint tomorrow for a town hall meeting, some question how to ensure safety during larger events - as was the scene amid the first apparent attempt on Trump's life at a rally in Pennsylvania in July.
For those more large-scale events, Russell stressed situational awareness, identifying one's exits and reporting to law enforcement if one sees something suspicious.