Biden says Secret Service ‘needs more help’ after apparent Trump assassination attempt

(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said on Monday the Secret Service “needs more help” as he briefly addressed the apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump while departing the White House.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One, Biden said, “Thank God the president’s OK.”

“One thing I want to make clear, the [Secret] Service needs more help and I think the Congress should respond to their needs, if in fact they need more servicemen,” Biden added. He said he believed the agency may need more personnel.

Secret Service agents fired at a man armed with an AK-47-style rifle on or near the Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday. The FBI said it was investigating the matter as a possible assassination attempt. The incident comes just two months after the former president was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump thanked law enforcement, including the Secret Service, for keeping him safe during the incident.

Biden, in a written statement in Sunday, also commended the Secret Service and their partners “for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe” and denounced political violence.

“There is an active investigation into this incident as law enforcement gathers more details about what happened,” Biden said. “As I have said many times, there is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety.”

The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny after Trump was shot in mid-July. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid the criticism of the agency’s failure to protect Trump, saying she took full responsibility for the “unacceptable” security lapse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Monday, said the agency’s response on Sunday was an improvement from the rally shooting but called for additional resources to protect Trump in the final stretch of the 2024 campaign.

Johnson, who was en route to meet with Trump when the incident unfolded Sunday, said he was quickly briefed on the phone by Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.

“President Trump needs the most coverage of anyone,” Johnson said. “He’s the most attacked, he’s the most threatened, even even probably more than when he was in the Oval Office. So we are demanding, in the House, that he have every asset available, and we will make more available if necessary. I don’t think it’s a funding issue. I think it’s a manpower allocation.”

Johnson also noted there are ongoing investigations and reports on the security lapse in Butler and based on those findings, “Congress will act swiftly. We need accountability and we must demand that this job is being done.”

ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.

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