A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that many Americans have doubts about the Secret Service’s ability to ensure the safety of presidential candidates, especially after the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Only about 3 in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident in the Secret Service’s capacity to protect candidates from violence before the election. Additionally, around 7 in 10 Americans believe that the Secret Service holds at least a moderate amount of responsibility for the assassination attempt.
The poll, conducted in the aftermath of Director Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation, showed that public confidence in the Secret Service has been shaken. The new acting director, Ronald Rowe, expressed shame over the security breach that allowed a gunman to come within 150 yards of Trump and fire shots. The survey respondents attributed a great deal of responsibility for the assassination attempt to political division in the U.S., with differing opinions among Democrats, Republicans, and independents on the roles played by gun availability and the Secret Service.
While some Americans, like farmer Roger Berg from Iowa, criticized the tendency to politicize issues, others, like Navy veteran George Velasco from Arizona, pointed to failures in communication and planning involving both the Secret Service and local law enforcement. The poll indicated varying degrees of blame assigned to different parties, with opinions split on the responsibilities of the Secret Service, local law enforcement, and the availability of guns in the U.S.
Despite the Secret Service’s long history of protecting presidents and its evolution to safeguard other individuals such as presidents-elect and candidates, the recent security lapse has raised concerns about its effectiveness. Confidence in the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the assassination attempt was also divided among the survey participants.
The poll, which surveyed 1143 adults in late July 2024, aimed to capture the diverse perspectives of the U.S. population on the Secret Service’s role in ensuring the safety of presidential candidates and the broader implications of the recent security breach.
