Trump Campaign Requests Military Aircraft With Antimissile Capabilities Amid Iran Threat
Donald Trump has survived two assassination attempts within a very short period of time, but now with less than a month to go till the November election, his campaign is reportedly requesting the use of military aircraft and vehicles to protect him.
Sources who spoke to the New York Times and Washington Post in Friday stories indicate the former president has requested much greater protections that US Secret Service agents currently provide him. There are also new reports saying he's unlikely to play golf again until new expanded protocols are in place, as the Secret Service would have trouble protecting him on a golf course.
The Washington Post reports based on emails it reviewed: "Donald Trump’s campaign requested military aircraft for Trump to fly in during the final weeks of the campaign, expanded flight restrictions over his residences and rallies, ballistic glass pre-positioned in seven battleground states for the campaign’s use and an array of military vehicles to transport Trump."
The report further calls the requests "extraordinary and unprecedented" given that "no nominee in recent history has been ferried around in military planes ahead of an election."
The campaign has reportedly cited the Iran threat directed against Trump. Late last month he was given a special briefing by top US intelligence officials about alleged efforts of Tehran to assassinate him.
A Sept. 24th statement from the campaign said, "President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States."
These new efforts to get military-level protections, which are typically only afforded to the sitting Commander-in-Chief, are based precisely on the belief that Iran is still trying to kill him.
The WaPo report says "Trump advisers have grown concerned about drones and missiles, according to the people."
Republican congressional leaders have also urged the necessity of greatly heightened protocols to protect the former president, to include protective military assets, such as when his plane goes from state to state in these final days leading up to the election:
She [Susie Wiles, co-campaign manager for Trump] also wrote that the U.S. government has not been able to provide what the campaign views as an extensive enough plan to protect Trump. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a Trump ally who is on the House Intelligence Committee and the Butler assassination inquiry, wrote a letter to the Secret Service asking for military aircraft or additional protection for Trump’s private plane, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by The Post.
CNN late Friday provided some further details on what exactly the Trump campaign is requesting:
Trump’s campaign wants to use these resources – including access to military aircraft with deterrent systems to protect against surface-to-air missiles – as the former president crisscrosses the US during the final weeks of the presidential campaign.
President Joe Biden, when asked about Trump’s requests on Friday, said they should be fulfilled – “as long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.”
Reporter: “Will you approve Mr. Trump’s request to use military aircrafts in the final stages of the campaign?”
— Conservative War Machine (@WarMachineRR) October 11, 2024
Joe Biden: “As long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.” pic.twitter.com/ybHdhaQwlP
While mainstream media is likely to scoff at these requests, calling them "unprecedented", it remains that it is also unprecedented that a former president who is running for the top office again should face two assassination attempts within just two months of each other, and with massive Secret Service failures to boot. Recently a foreign leader was ferried about the eastern US in a military plane: Zelensky. And Democrats didn't bat an eye over a foreign leader getting such protections at the taxpayers' dime, ironically enough.