Do Americans trust the Secret Service after Trump shooting? What a new poll found

Many Americans lack confidence in the U.S. Secret Service following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.

In a July 14 YouGov poll — conducted the day after a gunman fired shots at Trump at a Pennsylvania rally — just 20% of Americans said they were “very confident” that the Secret Service could “protect presidential candidates from harm.”

Forty-five percent said they were “somewhat confident” in the agency, while 17% said they were “not very confident” and 7% said they were “not at all confident,” according to the poll, which sampled 4,339 U.S. adults. Eleven percent of respondents were unsure.

When broken down by political affiliation, Democrats expressed slightly more trust than Republicans and independents.

Twenty-three percent of Democrats said they were “very confident,” compared with 20% of Republicans and 18% of independents.

And while only 5% of Democrats said they were “not at all confident,” nearly twice as many Republicans, 9%, and 8% of independents said the same.

The poll comes as the Secret Service faces criticism — from both sides of the aisle — for the attempt on Trump’s life.

The assassination attempt, which left Trump injured and two others, including the shooter, dead, represented a “huge failure” for the Secret Service, Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican, told Fox News, according to The Hill.

“Those responsible for the planning, approving and executing of this clearly insufficient security plan need to testify before Congress and be held accountable,” Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, told Politico.

The House has opened an investigation into the attack, which will include a hearing with officials from the Secret Service in addition to other law enforcement officials, according to Axios.

Trump’s campaign said he was “fine” following the shooting, according to the Associated Press.

Recounting the events in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

Hours after the attack, President Joe Biden, in an Oval Office address, called to “lower the temperature in our politics” and to seek unity.

This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Do Americans trust the Secret Service after Trump shooting? What a new poll found."