US Secret Service Missed 102 Warnings Before Trump Assassination Attempt in July 2024

A report from the US Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General revealed that the Secret Service overlooked 102 warnings about the gunman targeting Donald Trump during a July 2024 rally in Pennsylvania. The failure was attributed to the absence of a joint communication center with local law enforcement in Butler, Pennsylvania. Instead of receiving comprehensive intelligence, the Secret Service only got five phone calls and three messages about a "suspicious person," and consequently did not alert Trump's security detail.

The shooter, Thomas Crooks, fired from a rooftop with a direct line of sight to Trump during his speech and was killed on the spot by authorities. The report also uncovered that Crooks operated a drone over the area for nearly nine minutes before the shooting, which the Secret Service's drone detection system failed to identify. This system was reportedly manned by a single, untrained operator at the time.

Following the incident, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, calling the event "the greatest operational failure of the Service in decades." The Inspector General's recommendations focused on improving information sharing and addressing vulnerabilities in security coverage. The Secret Service accepted these recommendations and stated that many have already been implemented.

This assassination attempt was the first of three against Trump within a short period surrounding his re-election. The second occurred in September 2024 outside his Florida golf club, where an armed assailant came within hundreds of meters of Trump, renewing criticism of the Secret Service. The third attempt took place in April 2025 during a White House press event in Washington, where gunfire outside the venue prompted agents to evacuate Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and the Vice President. The shooter was armed with a hunting rifle and positioned about 15 meters from the entrance security scanners.