Following the failed assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump, the Biden administration has finally agreed to provide security for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Department of Homeland Security caved shortly after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Secret Service protection for Kennedy is imperative “in light of what is going on in the world today.”
In a press briefing on Monday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said America is in a “heightened and very dynamic threat environment”
“In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy Jr,” Mayorkas said.
Typically, the DHS secretary determines which presidential candidates are eligible for Secret Service protection in consultation with an advisory committee composed of the Speaker of the House, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, Senate minority leader, and one additional member.
The DHS considers factors such as candidate polling and a candidate’s threat level, which it defines as “explicit threats of bodily harm to the candidate or indications of inappropriate behavior towards the candidate suggesting potential bodily harm.”
Kennedy responded to the news on X, writing, “Thank you to President Biden for granting me Secret Service protection.”
“And I am so grateful to Gavin deBecker & Associates for keeping me safe for the last 15 months of my Presidential campaign,” he added.
Kennedy’s uncle, John F. Kennedy, was elected president as a Democrat in 1960 and assassinated just three years later.
His father and namesake, Robert F. Kennedy, ran a campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1968, but he was assassinated before the party’s nominating convention.
Mayorkas’ announcement follows calls from current and past politicians advocating for Kennedy’s protection.
Hours after the Trump shooting, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote on X that the federal government should “immediately provide secret service protection” for Kennedy. His nephew, former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, who has opposed his uncle’s candidacy, told CNN Monday morning that his uncle must have protection as “any candidate for office, at this point, is going to need.”
Mayorkas declined to comment on security failures at Trump’s rally in Butler, Penn on Saturday.
A shooter was able to get 150 yards from Trump and graze his ear with a bullet. Corey Comperatore, 50, a volunteer fire chief, was killed while shielding his wife and daughter. Two other spectators were critically injured.
The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was killed by a law enforcement sniper.
Mayorkas said DHS is in the process of choosing who will lead the independent review into the events.
“We need to move with swiftness and urgency because this is a security imperative.”