A HarrisX/Forbes survey conducted after a failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump found that 55 percent of respondents believe the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement should be investigated for their response to the incident, while 45 percent think they did an “admirable job.” The survey also asked whether the two entities reacted as fast as possible during the shooting or hesitated and acted with delay. Thirty-two percent of respondents said Secret Service hesitated, while 68 percent claimed they reacted quickly.
The HarrisX/Forbes survey, which was conducted from July 13 to 15, 2024, has a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percent and includes responses from 1,918 registered voters. The survey comes amid increasing calls for investigations into the Secret Service’s response to the assassination attempt. Many are questioning how Thomas Crooks, the man identified as the shooter, was able to get on a roof approximately 150 yards away from President Trump and take shots at him during an event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to reports, a local police counter-sniper team was stationed inside the building that Thomas Crooks crawled onto to take his shots. The gunman’s actions resulted in the death of one attendee and injuries to two others outside of Trump. A Beaver County police counter-sniper who was inside the same building as Crooks reportedly saw him “with a range finder, scoping out the rooftop” and had warned a command center about him, as Breitbart News detailed.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle claimed that no one was on the roof in question due to a “safety factor” of placing an individual on a “sloped roof,” but many are dismissing her explanation as absurd. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Breitbart News that investigations into the incident are underway, with multiple committees and hearings scheduled.
The survey findings suggest that the public is concerned about the safety of President Trump during public events and is calling for an investigation into the Secret Service’s response to the assassination attempt. With mounting evidence and increasing scrutiny, it remains to be seen how the ongoing investigations will unfold and whether any changes will be made in the way the Secret Service handles security at high-profile events.