Trump Pennsylvania Rally Was ‘First Time’ Secret Service Snipers Were Deployed in 2024, Director Says

‘It was the first time Secret Service counter snipers were deployed to support the former President’s detail,’ acting director Ronald Rowe said.

The stage where former President Donald Trump was standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pa., on July 14, 2024. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

The first time that the U.S. Secret Service deployed snipers for the Trump campaign in 2024 was at the July 13 Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear, the acting director of the agency confirmed.

“It was the first time Secret Service counter snipers were deployed to support the former President’s detail,” acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said at a news conference on Aug. 2, responding to a question about whether snipers were deployed for the Trump campaign in 2024.