One year has passed since a lone gunman fired shots at Donald J. Trump during a campaign rally in a quiet Pittsburgh suburb. The bullet could have been lethal if a fraction of an inch closer. It grazed his ear. A rally attendee was killed, and two others were injured.
The attempted assassination on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa., shocked the world. And it washed away a 43-year stretch since a former or current president was wounded in an attempt on his life.
The Secret Service came under withering criticism, and the episode was perceived to be one of the worst failures in the history of the agency. The House and the Senate formed panels to review what went wrong. And the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service’s parent agency, ordered up an independent assessment.
“The Secret Service must be the world’s leading governmental protective organization,” the assessment said. “The events at Butler on July 13 demonstrate that, currently, it is not.”
In addition, the agency spent months looking internally. As findings trickled out, it became clear that the Secret Service had systemic problems that went back years. Among those were deep challenges with recruiting and holding onto experienced agents — burnout was a constant problem. There were also basic human blunders:
poor communications about planning
, especially for outdoor events. Fatigue from long hours and thin staffing during a grueling campaign season. Complacency from the long streak of seeming success.
Here is what we now know about what happened and what has changed:
A young shooter with a plan evaded law enforcement.
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