Former US president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump watches the conclusion of the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16, 2024. | Photo credit: AFP
As questions arise about how a would-be assassin was able to get close to Donald Trump, some conservatives are blaming the Secret Service for hiring the female agents who threw themselves into the line of fire to protect the former president.
Women are too small, too weak – and in some cases too overweight – to protect someone like Trump, according to people on the US political right who accused the Secret Service of “woke” hiring practices that they say almost had the former president have them murdered.
Several women are seen among the black-clad, sunglasses-clad officers rushing to shield Trump with their bodies as the gunman opened fire at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, before running him from the stage to a waiting car and safety chased.
But they, along with their boss Kimberly Cheatle – only the second-ever female director of the federal agency charged with protecting current, former and future presidents – are now caught up in the intensive investigation into the near-catastrophic attack.
“There should be no women in the secret service. These are supposed to be the very best, and none of the very best in this position are women,” wrote right-wing activist Matt Walsh on X, in a typical post.
“I can’t imagine that a DEI hire from @pepsi would be a bad choice as head of the Secret Service. #sarcasm,” tweeted Republican Congressman Tim Burchett.
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Mr. Burchett was referring to Ms. Cheatle’s previous job as director of global security for Pepsi — a position she held for several years before returning to the Secret Service, where she had previously spent nearly three decades.
Using the phrase DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – he invoked one of the most popular conservative fronts in the culture wars: the so-called “awakening” of the workplace, as employers strive to diversify their hiring practices beyond white men.
In 1971, the first women were sworn in as Secret Service agents. CBS News reported last year that the agency aims to have 30% female recruits by 2030.
“I am very conscious of the need to attract diverse candidates and ensure we develop and provide opportunities for everyone in our workforce, especially women,” Ms Cheatle said. CBS at the time.
The wildly popular conservative Libs of TikTok account cited that interview in a post that also blamed hiring practices for the Trump shooting, which has been viewed more than 10 million times on X.
‘The results of DEI. DEI killed someone,” it said.
‘Secret Service A-team’
Diverse hiring practices accelerated in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd forced America into a new reckoning on racism and inclusivity.
But they have seen a growing backlash in recent months from conservatives who complain they unfairly disadvantage white workers in general, and white men in particular.
None other than Ohio Senator JD Vance – Trump’s recently announced running mate – has spearheaded a recent bill to abolish such efforts.
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“DEI is racism, plain and simple. It’s time to ban it nationwide, starting with the federal government,” he tweeted last month when the bill was introduced.
Such practices at the Secret Service did not come under scrutiny until May, when Congress launched an investigation after a female agent led by Vice President Kamala Harris allegedly got into a fight with colleagues.
The incident raised concerns about this agent’s hiring, Republican James Comer of Kentucky said in a letter to Ms. Cheatle — specifically about whether staffing shortages had “led the agency to ever lower strict standards as part of an effort in the field of diversity, equality and inclusion.”
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to questions from AFP.
But in response to Comer’s letter, spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told US media that Secret Service employees “are held to the highest professional standards… at no time has the agency lowered these standards.”
Ms Cheatle has rejected calls for her resignation since the shooting and the agency has agreed to cooperate with an independent investigation ordered by President Joe Biden.
Mr. Comer also announced that Ms. Cheatle will appear before a congressional panel on July 22 for a hearing on the assassination attempt.
Mr. Biden — in whose position Ms. Cheatle served when he was vice president — told it NBC News On Monday, he said he “feels safe with the Secret Service,” though he agreed it was an “open question” whether they should have anticipated the shooting.
When Trump made his first public appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday after the shooting, he appeared to be surrounded by an all-male member of the Secret Service.
“This is how you protect a president,” conservative commentator Rogan O’Handley wrote on X.
“Trump now gets the Secret Service A-team.”
