NAPLES, Fla. — The Collier County GOP says it is worried about more political violence after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
"Over the years it's been getting increasingly worse and now it's just over the line. It's just absolutely insane," said Kathi Meo, Secretary of the Collier GOP.
With the Republican National Convention starting in Milwaukee, local Republicans are discussing security measures and Trump's safety. The three-day event, which began on Monday, is implementing notably tighter security and safety measures.
Kathi Meo is attending the convention and spoke to Fox 4's Mahmoud Bennett about the atmosphere.
"Security? It's like Fort Knox. Just to even get in last night—the perimeter—you had to get dropped off by a taxi and walk with your luggage for like eight blocks," she said. "It's swarming, as you can imagine. And that's fine, it's good. So they're everywhere, metal detectors and very secure," she added.
Back home in Collier County, there's some concern about political violence and security at Trump rallies. This has some local Republicans on high alert.
"To say he's fired up as a candidate and we're more fired up as his constituents would be an understatement," said John Meo, head of the Collier County Republican Executive Committee.
John believes the assassination attempt, while horrific, has bolstered Trump's support.
"He’s a great man, I think he loves his country," John said. "I think the rhetoric about him being a fascist has to come to an end because it's not a fair assessment and it's really creating this scenario," John added.
During Monday's convention, former President Trump chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his VP running mate.
In a recent post on X, Vance said that Biden’s campaign rhetoric “led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
On Monday, federal investigators were still looking into the motive of the shooter, who was shot and killed at the scene.
