New apparent Trump assassination attempt highlights Secret Service strains

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two months after Donald Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt, a gunman hid undetected for nearly 12 hours on the edge of the golf course where Trump played on Sunday under the protection of an agency that is being pushed to its limits.

As the 2024 presidential election enters its final stretch, the U.S. Secret Service is operating with about 400 fewer employees than Congress has authorized, government records show. The problem is not likely to be fixed before the Nov. 5 election, as the agency typically takes more than 200 days to fill open positions.

Since President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid in July and Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the Democratic presidential candidate in a tight race against the Republican Trump, the Secret Service has had to expand its protective coverage to a wider group of officials.

That has placed unprecedented strains on the agency, according to interviews with three former Secret Service agents and a former head of the department that oversees it.

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