NAPLES, Fla. — A former White House advance man is raising concerns about the safety of former President Donald Trump after what appeared to be a second assassination attempt over the weekend. The incident has sparked questions about the Secret Service and its current level of protection for Trump.
Ralph Wunder, who worked in the White House under President Reagan coordinating public events, spoke to Fox 4. He believes there could be more attempts on Trump’s life in the coming months.
FOX 4 Mahmoud Bennett spoke to a former Advance Man:
“Unless the current president steps up and agrees to give Trump the same level of Secret Service protection, I fear that we may not have seen the last attempt,” Wunder said.
Wunder, who now lives in Naples, says there’s a big gap between the protection given to a sitting president and a former one. He feels Trump’s security detail is not enough for the current political climate.
"He is probably receiving more threats than the incumbent president. That's one. Two, he's a former president. Three, he's the nominee of the party. And four, he's living under this constant threat fueled by the animosity driven by the political narrative,” Wunder said.
Casey Askar, chairman of Askar Brands in Naples, knows Trump personally and spoke to Fox 4 about how people in Trump’s inner circle are feeling.
“Anyone who is around President Trump at any time could be a potential target. Those are concerns and believe there is a lot to be said, a lot of blame on what has put us here,” Askar said.
Askar placed blame on what he called "nearly a decade of rhetoric" that vilified Trump.
"I'm horrified by what's happened and for this to repeat once again in such a short time frame is very concerning," Askar added. "I'm afraid this is a precedent that's being set".
The suspect accused of plotting to kill Trump was arrested and appeared in court on Monday. He faces several federal gun charges. Wunder and Askar both believe the political attacks on Trump contributed to the attempt on his life.
With the election approaching, Wunder says Trump remains at risk unless major changes are made to his security.
“They [Secret Service] are getting into protecting things they don’t need to be protecting, and that’s taking away resources from the people they should be protecting,” Wunder said. "The Secret Service has strained from its mission," he added.
