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Could Butler happen again? Former Secret Service agents weigh in on political violence in 2025
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While the 2024 assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, has resulted in a host of changes to bolster the Secret Service’s security practices, the agency has its work cut out for it in an era of unprecedented threats against the president, according to former Secret Service agents.
Trump faces a plethora of threats, ranging from violent extremists backed by proxy groups, to domestic actors inspired to incite violence amid heightened political rhetoric, according to experts.
«No U.S. president has been under so much threat of violence,» Bill Gage, who served as a Secret Service special agent during Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s administrations, told Fox News Digital Wednesday. «The threat on President Trump is the greatest that any president has ever faced.»
ONE YEAR AFTER TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, BUTLER WIDOW DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FROM SECRET SERVICE
Secret Service tends to President Donald Trump onstage at a rally July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Twenty-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump from a rooftop during the rally — with one of the eight bullets shot grazing Trump’s ear. In addition to injuring two people, the gunman also shot and killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally.
Months later, another man was apprehended and charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Both incidents are under investigation.
Political rhetoric from the left that paints Trump as a threat to democracy is dangerous and could provide fodder for political radicals to believe assassinating the president is the way to save the country — potentially leading to a similar assassination attempt seen in Pennsylvania, Gage said.
Other factors contributing to the heightened threat levels include policies related to immigration or funding cuts from the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that are unpopular with the left, as well as hostile proxy groups who are backed by actors like Iran who oppose Trump, Gage said.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is assisted by security personnel after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
«That increases the threat level on Trump,» Gage said. «There’s probably dozens and dozens of threats every day, just sort of insider threats, or threats within our own borders that the Secret Service has to run down.»
Specifically, Gage pointed to comments from leaders like Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who delivered an address to the nation in June where he claimed «democracy is under assault,» following the Trump administration’s decision to dispatch thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to respond to the immigration riots in the Golden State and place them under federal command, rather than state command.
«Right now there is someone out there reading Newsom’s quotes, someone who wishes President Trump harm,» Gage said in an email in June to Fox News Digital. «It is up to the USSS to stop them. Hopefully those wishing the President harm will not slip through the cracks.»
A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump isn’t the only subject that’s a potential target for politically motivated violence.
Attacks against federal immigration officials are on the rise and a gunman opened fire against Border Patrol agents Monday at an annex in McAllen, Texas. Authorities have yet to identify a motive.
However, lawmakers have not minced their words on Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., accused ICE of acting «like a terrorist force» — comments she has since defended.
Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., who oversees the House Homeland Security committee’s subcommittee on border security and enforcement, said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital that «radical anti-law enforcement rhetoric» has prompted the surge in violence against federal immigration officials.
TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, threats continue to change, creating additional challenges for security forces like the Secret Service as they adapt.
Although the Secret Service is taking action to enhance its security measures, the agency still faces «considerable vulnerabilities given the rising complexity and sophistication of the threats it faces,» Tim Miller, who served as a Secret Service agent during Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton’s administrations, said in an email Wednesday to Fox News Digital.
«The FBI has consistently warned about homegrown violent extremists, which remains a major concern,» Miller said.
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While Miller characterized Butler as a «wake-up» call for the Secret Service and said the incident is sharpening the agency’s ability to handle threats, there is still a lot of work that must be done, he said.
«The Secret Service is also still playing catch-up when it comes to adopting critical technology — especially in the areas of secure communications, drone surveillance, and real-time intelligence tools,» Miller said. «These are not luxuries; they are vital to modern protective operations.»
A bipartisan House task force that investigated the attack found that the attempted assassination was «preventable,» and determined various mistakes were not an isolated incident.
At the top of the list of mistakes, the report identified that the Secret Service did not secure a «high-risk area» next to the rally, the American Glass Research (AGR) grounds and building complex. Failure to secure this area «eventually allowed Crooks to evade law enforcement, climb on and traverse the roof of the AGR complex, and open fire.»
Other faults the task force found included handing over advance planning roles to inexperienced Secret Service personnel, along with various technology and communication breakdowns.
«Moreover, relevant threat information known by members of the intelligence community was not escalated to key personnel working the rally,» the House task force said in its report.
As a result, the agency has spearheaded a series of reforms.
JOURNALIST WHO REFUSED TO DUCK DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT REFLECTS ON BUTLER RALLY IN NEW BOOK
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
According to former Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe, immediate changes to the agency following Butler, Pennsylvania, included expanding the use of drones for surveillance purposes, and also incorporating greater counter-drone technology to mitigate kinetic attacks from other drones.
The agency also overhauled its radio communications networks and interoperability of those networks with Secret Service personnel, and state and local law enforcement officers, Rowe told lawmakers on a bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempt in December 2024. Updates to these radio communications are a significant change, according to Gage, who noted that he could carry up to five radios at a time because an integrated system didn’t exist.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AFTERMATH, REACTIONS FROM INNER CIRCLE REVEALED IN NEW BOOK
Rowe also told lawmakers that the Secret Service was aiming to up its staffing in the next year, and had placed more special agents in Trump’s security detail. Some of the additional $231 million in funding that Congress approved for the Secret Service in a stopgap spending bill in September 2024 to hire 1,000 new agents and officers in 2025 would go toward these increased hiring plans, Rowe said.
A few other changes are in the pipeline, including possibly building a precise replica of the White House. Historically, agents have trained using Tyler Perry’s White House replica at his Atlanta film studio.
Secret Service director Sean Curran said in an interview on Fox News’ «My View with Lara Trump» in April that the agency is working with the White House to install such a building at the James J. Rowley Training Center, a 500-acre center in Laurel, Maryland.
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service personnel as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
«In order for our officers and agents to train up properly, they have to see what it’s like to be at the White House,» Curran said. «It’s an important complex to know. There’s a lot of ins and outs, and something as simple as the local fire department showing up to help with a fire, and they need to know where they are going.»
Altogether, Congressional oversight bodies issued nearly 50 recommendations to the Secret Service following the assassination attempt, including ones related to better radio communications and planning for events. The agency reported Thursday that it has executed 21 of those recommendations, and is in the process of implementing 16 others.
«The reforms made over this last year are just the beginning, and the agency will continue to assess its operations, review recommendations and make additional changes as needed,» the Secret Service said in a news release Thursday.
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Maine Dem Senate hopeful backed by Bernie Sanders apologizes for Nazi-style tattoo, vows to stay in race
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Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says he has covered up a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol after critics unearthed old social media posts and demanded he quit the race.
Platner’s campaign is facing intense scrutiny after it was revealed he once had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces.
Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a «night of drinking» while on leave in Croatia in the Marine Corps and claimed he did not know its historical associations at the time. He has since covered the image with another tattoo.
DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE
In a video posted to Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Platner elaborated that the design was chosen from a flash tattoo wall while «carousing» with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.
«We thought it looked cool,» he said.
He claimed he had «lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism» and was «appalled» to learn it resembled a hate symbol.
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview Wednesday in Portland, Maine. (WGME via AP)
Platner said he had never been questioned about the tattoo during his service and passed Army background checks.
He told The Associated Press he chose to cover rather than remove the tattoo due to a lack of removal services near his home in rural Maine.
«Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while,» Platner said. «I wanted this thing off my body.»
In the video, Platner said he had the symbol inked over with a Celtic knot and imagery of dogs, a tribute to his family pets.
«This far more represents who I am now than even the skull and crossbones did,» he said, lifting his shirt to reveal the new tattoo.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER DIRECTS INVESTIGATION AFTER SWASTIKA VANDALISM DISCOVERED IN DC OFFICE
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center Oct. 15, in Lewiston, Maine. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)
The controversy comes on the heels of deleted Reddit posts in which Platner appeared to mock military sexual assault victims, criticize police and make racially-charged comments about tipping.
Platner since apologized and blamed the posts on depression and PTSD after his military service in Afghanistan. He has vowed to stay in the race and has the backing of Sanders.
Jordan Wood, a Democratic rival in the primary and former chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter, is calling on Platner to drop out.
«Graham Platner’s Reddit comments and Nazi SS Totenkopf tattoo are disqualifying and not who we are as Mainers or as Democrats,» Wood said in a statement. «With Donald Trump and his sycophants demonizing Americans, spewing hate and running roughshod over the Constitution, Democrats need to be able to condemn Trump’s actions with moral clarity. Graham Platner no longer can.»
Platner said he believes the controversy is part of his life story, not disqualifying.
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, acknowledges a large crowd during a town hall Sept. 25, in Portland, Maine. (Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald via AP)
«I don’t look at this as a liability. I look at this as a life that I have lived, a journey that has been difficult, that has been full of struggle, that has also gotten me to where I am today,» Platner told the AP. «And I’m very proud of who I am.»
He blamed «establishment» forces for amplifying the backlash to derail his campaign.
«Every second we spend talking about a tattoo I got in the Marine Corps is a second we don’t talk about Medicare for all,» Platner said in the video.
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He is running in a packed Democratic primary against Wood and two-term Gov. Janet Mills.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who has held the seat for three decades, has not yet commented on the controversy.
Sanders and Collins did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Nicolás Sarkozy hizo historia, pero no por un logro político: se convirtió en el primer exjefe de Estado francés en ir a prisión desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
El expresidente, que gobernó Francia entre 2007 y 2012, ingresó poco antes de las 10 de la mañana a la cárcel parisina de la Santé para cumplir una condena de cinco años por asociación ilícita, tras ser encontrado culpable de financiar ilegalmente su campaña electoral de 2007 con fondos provenientes del dictador libio Muamar Gadafi.
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Minutos antes de entregarse, Sarkozy escribió en la red social X: “Esta mañana encierran a un inocente”. Denunció un “escándalo judicial” y un “viacrucis”, y aseguró: “La verdad triunfará, pero el precio a pagar habrá sido abrumador”. Nicolás Sarkozy junto a su esposa, la modelo y cantante Carla Bruni. (Foto: AFP/Julien De Rosa).
Un ingreso a prisión rodeado de polémica y apoyo
El tribunal que lo condenó en septiembre ordenó su ingreso inmediato en prisión, sin esperar el resultado del recurso presentado por su defensa. El juicio en apelación se celebrará en los próximos meses, pero la decisión ya generó un fuerte revuelo en la sociedad francesa.
Al grito de “¡Nicolas! ¡Nicolas!”, decenas de personas se acercaron para mostrarle su apoyo cuando salió de su casa en un exclusivo barrio del oeste de París rumbo a la prisión, seguido de cerca por cámaras y fotógrafos. Entre los manifestantes, algunos lloraron y otros denunciaron un “juicio político”. “¡Estamos en la Unión Soviética!”, gritó uno de ellos, mientras dos banderas francesas flameaban en la valla de seguridad. Nicolás Sarkozy pedirá la lbertad condicional por su edad, ya que tiene 70 años. (Foto: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier).
El propio Sarkozy, casado con la cantante Carla Bruni, contó al diario Le Figaro que entraría “con la cabeza alta”, acompañado por una biografía de Jesús y el libro “El Conde de Montecristo”, símbolo de los inocentes injustamente condenados.
Condiciones de detención y antecedentes históricos
Para evitar el contacto con otros presos y posibles fotos, Sarkozy ocupará probablemente una de las 15 celdas de aislamiento de la Santé, de nueve metros cuadrados cada una, según fuentes penitenciarias. Su llegada no pasó desapercibida: “¡Oh, bienvenido Sarkozy!”, gritaron algunos internos desde sus celdas. El expresidente francés Nicolás Sarkozy se despide de su espos,a la cantante y modelo Carla Bruni, antes de ir a la cárcel. (Foto REUTERS/Benoit Tessier).
Nacido el 28 de enero de 1955, Sarkozy sigue así los pasos de otros famosos reclusos de la Santé, como el venezolano Carlos “El Chacal” o el dictador panameño Manuel Noriega. Pero es el primer exjefe de Estado francés encarcelado desde Philippe Pétain, quien fue condenado tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial por colaborar con la Alemania nazi.
El pedido de libertad condicional y el impacto político
Sus abogados ya solicitaron la libertad condicional, un beneficio posible para los presos mayores de 70 años. La justicia tiene dos meses para resolver el pedido.
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“Sarko”, como lo llaman en Francia, es el primer exmandatario de un país miembro de la Unión Europea en ir a prisión. Su encarcelamiento contrasta con la imagen de “mano dura” que construyó como ministro del Interior entre 2005 y 2007, antes de llegar a la presidencia. Sarkozy saluda a policías al salir de su casa. (Foto: AFP/Julien de Rosa).
La condena se basa en que permitió que allegados suyos buscaran fondos en la Libia de Muamar al Gadafi para financiar su campaña de 2007. Aunque no se probó que el dinero se usara “en última instancia”, el tribunal determinó que sí salió de Libia y lo condenó por la “excepcional gravedad de los hechos”.
Más causas y una sociedad dividida
No es la primera vez que Sarkozy enfrenta a la justicia: ya usó una tobillera electrónica a principios de año y acumula otras dos condenas por corrupción, tráfico de influencias y financiación ilegal de campaña en 2012. Además, tiene otras causas abiertas.
Según una encuesta reciente, seis de cada diez franceses consideran “justa” su entrada en prisión. Sin embargo, sus críticas a la supuesta politización de los jueces le valieron apoyos en sectores de la derecha y la ultraderecha. Un hombre saluda a Sarkozy cerca de la cárcel de La Santé. (Foto: REUTERS/Tom Nicholson).
La fiscalía abrió una investigación por amenazas en redes sociales contra la magistrada del caso. Incluso el presidente Emmanuel Macron se vio obligado a defender la independencia judicial, aunque el viernes recibió a Sarkozy en el Palacio del Elíseo. “Era normal que, en el plano humano, recibiera a uno de mis predecesores en este contexto”, explicó Macron.
El ministro de Justicia, Gérald Darmanin, también anunció que visitará a su mentor político en prisión, aunque el fiscal general de la Corte de Casación, Rémy Heitz, advirtió que esa visita podría “atentar contra la independencia de los magistrados”.
La carta de Sarkozy, antes de ingresar a prisión
Mientras me dispongo a atravesar los muros de la prisión de la Santé, mis pensamientos se dirigen al pueblo francés de todas las condiciones y opiniones.
Quiero decirles con la fuerza inquebrantable que es mía que no es un expresidente de la República el que está siendo encerrado esta mañana, es un hombre inocente.
Seguiré denunciando este escándalo judicial, este sufrimiento que llevo soportando más de diez años. ¡He aquí un caso de financiación ilegal sin financiación! Una investigación judicial a largo plazo iniciada con base en un documento cuya falsedad ya ha sido demostrada.
No pido ninguna ventaja ni ningún favor. No debo tener lástima, porque mi voz se escucha. No debo tener lástima porque mi esposa y mis hijos están a mi lado, y mis amigos son innumerables.
Pero esta mañana, siento un profundo pesar por Francia, humillada por el afán de venganza que ha llevado el odio a un nivel desigual. No me cabe duda. La verdad triunfará. Pero el precio a pagar será desgarrador.
Francia, Nicolas Sarkozy
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North Korea test fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in South Korea.
South Korea’s military said the missiles, which were the first launched by its neighbor in five months, originated from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 220 miles toward the northeast. The missiles did not land in the sea, the military added.
Trump is set to leave for Asia at the end of the week in what will be his first trip to the region during his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before traveling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
The president is expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
TRUMP CLAIMS PUTIN, XI, KIM ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US AFTER MILITARY PARADE IN CHINA
North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un is shown left, conducted missile launches just days ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to South Korea. (China Daily via Reuters/Korea News Service via AP; Ahn Young-joon/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its alliance with the United States.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data.
Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country tested short-range systems on May 8 that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against U.S. and South Korean forces.
NUCLEAR THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA LOOM QUIETLY BEHIND WARS IN GAZA AND UKRAINE AT UNGA
A North Korean government photo shows what it says is a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20 during a military parade on Oct. 10, 2025, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders.
The yet-to-be-tested Hwasong-20 was described by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency as having the «most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.»
The government also displayed shorter-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles at the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party.
Kim said at the parade that the military «must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.»
A TV screen shows North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
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The foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam.
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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