Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will receive Secret Service protection following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday.
A gunman opened fire at a rally for Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday, injuring the former president and killing a rally attendee. Given the recent developments, Mayorkas told reporters that he had been directed by President Joe Biden to provide Secret Service detail for Kennedy.
Kennedy has been denied Secret Service protections despite requesting it several times since launching his bid for the presidency.
“We are in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment. The United States’ Secret Service, we — including the FBI and our other partners across the federal government — take the threats very seriously and adjust security measures as warranted, maintaining the safety and security of the president, the former president in their campaign events is one our most vital priorities,” Mayorkas told reporters during a White House press briefing on Monday. “In light of the weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection for Robert Kennedy Jr.”
Mayorkas also said that Trump’s safety was a vital priority for the Secret Service. Trump’s level of protection would be enhanced as he becomes the nominee at the the Republic National Convention in Wisconsin this week, Mayorkas said.
Kennedy has asked the White House multiple times for Secret Service protection since he announced he was running in the 2024 presidential race, but has been repeatedly rejected by the White House. Mayorkas wrote to Kennedy in December 2023 that Secret Service protection was “not warranted.”
Calls for Kennedy to receive a security detail increased following the attempt on Trump’s life on Saturday.
“In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe that it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection — immediately,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday, hours before Mayorkas’ announcement.
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