Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Monday proposed that Navy SEALs be deployed to protect former President Donald Trump, expressing frustration with the current security measures following what he called a second attempted assassination against the GOP frontrunner.
“I don’t know who’s in charge, but somebody needs to step up and act like they care about a Republican candidate. They clearly don’t,” Tuberville said in an interview with Larry Kudlow on Fox Business. “We need SEAL teams. We need military support. I don’t know what these people are thinking.”
His remarks followed an incident on Sunday when Secret Service agents thwarted an alleged assassination attempt at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. Agents reportedly spotted a man with a rifle poking through bushes 300 to 500 yards away from the course. One agent fired at the suspect, who dropped his AK-47-style rifle and fled in a car. The man, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was later arrested and charged with federal gun crimes.
This latest incident follows a previous attempt on Trump’s life in July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet grazed Trump’s ear. The incident led to sharp criticism of the Secret Service and the resignation of its director, Kimberly Cheatle.
Tuberville criticized the disparity in security measures, arguing that Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell receive ample protection while Trump’s security remains inadequate. “The one person we need to protect is Donald Trump, and they’re refusing to do it,” he added.
Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) also weighed in on the situation, suggesting that Trump might need to consider private security to ensure his safety. “If I’m President Trump, and my goal is to stay alive, I’d be looking at every option, including private security,” Fulcher said in an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
The White House has not yet commented on Tuberville’s statements.
