Trump assassination attempt: Secret Service director faces new heat for ‘sloped roof’ comment
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle explains why personnel weren’t on top of building that shooter fired from
The director of the Secret Service is facing blistering criticism Tuesday after claiming during an interview that personnel were not positioned on top of the building where the Trump rally shooter opened fire because of a "sloped roof," despite images showing snipers set up on a sloped roof behind the former president’s podium.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle made the remark during an interview with ABC News, in which she said the agency was aware of the security vulnerabilities presented by the building Thomas Matthew Crooks took a sniper's position on to aim at Trump.
"That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there's a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn't want to put somebody up on a sloped roof. And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside," she said.
But critics on social media aren’t having it, calling Cheatle’s "sloped roof" comment a "total BS excuse" that "defies believability."
"Our snipers used to set in on mountain tops in Afghanistan. On the down slopes if need be," former Army Ranger and author Sean Parnell wrote on X, calling Cheatle’s explanation a "total BS excuse."
"The stupidity of this statement explains so much of why s--- hit the fan that day. Absolute incompetence," he added.
Republican convention day three: JD Vance to speak as focus turns to foreign policy
JD Vance will give his first major address as Donald Trump’s running mate on Wednesday and Republicans will turn their focus to foreign policy during the third day of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Vance will be introduced by Donald Trump Jr. The theme for Wednesday – “Make America Strong Once Again” – comes amid internal divisions on how to handle the war in Ukraine. Earlier this year, House speaker Mike Johnson only narrowly passed a bill to provide additional funding for Ukraine over the loud objection of some Republicans.
The day will also offer an opportunity for Republicans to attack Joe Biden over his handling of the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war between Israel and Gaza.
Some Republicans have already started attacking Biden’s foreign policy.
39 Things to Know About JD Vance, Trump’s Running Mate
The freshman senator and best-selling author from Ohio is the first millennial on a major party ticket. Here’s a rundown of his background and stances.
On July 15, former President Donald Trump announced that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was his vice presidential pick, ending months of speculation.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance,” former President Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Based on Mr. Vance’s published works and interviews, here are 39 things to know about the Ohio Republican who is set to share a ticket with the former president.
1. He’s 39 Years Old
Mr. Vance was born on Aug. 2, 1984. Turning 40 in August, he’s the first millennial on a major party ticket and one of the youngest vice presidential candidates in history.
2. He’s a Catholic
Mr. Vance was raised Protestant, but later converted to Catholicism, officially becoming Catholic in August 2019.
3. He’s Married to Usha Chilukuri Vance
Mr. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, whom he met at Yale Law School. They married in 2014.
Ms. Vance currently works as a corporate litigator. She has clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John. Roberts and then-appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
She would be the first Hindu spouse of a vice president and the first person of color to be second lady.
4. The Couple Has 3 Children
Mr. Vance has three children: Ewan, 6, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel, 2.
5. He’s Considered a Populist Conservative
Mr. Vance is commonly considered to be a populist conservative.
His political ideology is often placed alongside the ranks of former President Trump, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and pro-Trump swaths of the House Freedom Caucus.In a December 2023 interview, he described his hope to “push the Republican Party in a more pro-worker direction” and capitalize on the working-class gains made by the likes of former President Trump.
6. He Grew Up in a Lower-Class Family
Mr. Vance famously grew up in a lower-class family in Middletown, Ohio, and often experienced financial and familial hardships growing up
7. He’s a Best-Selling Author
Mr. Vance first became well-known for his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2016, which details his time growing up in poverty-stricken areas of the Rust Belt.
The book traces the drug abuse issues and financial hardships experienced by many in the white working class, and was seen by many as a primer on the population that propelled former President Trump to victory in 2016.
8. There’s a Movie Adaptation of His Book
Mr. Vance’s book was adapted into a namesake Netflix film in 2020.
9. He Experienced the Decline of the Rust Belt
In both his memoir and the movie adaptation, Mr. Vance explains his experience of the decline of the Rust Belt, and the impacts it had on those living there.
Speaking about his native Middletown, Mr. Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy, “There is a lack of agency here— a feeling that you have little control over your life and a willingness to blame everyone but yourself.”
He’s made clear that this experience has continued to shape his political life and decisions.
10. He Grew Up in Ohio but Considered Rural Kentucky ‘Home’
Despite growing up in Ohio, Mr. Vance has said he considered his great-grandmother’s house in rural Kentucky as “home.”
“I always distinguished ‘my address’ from ‘my home,’” Mr. Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy.
“My address was where I spent most of my time with my mother and sister, wherever that might be. But my home never changed: my great-grandmother’s house, in the holler, in Jackson, Kentucky.”
11. His Parents Divorced When He was a Toddler
Mr. Vance’s parents, Donald Bowman and Bev Vance, divorced when he was very young, leaving Mr. Vance to be raised by his mother.
In “Hillbilly Elegy,” Mr. Bowman is described as having been largely absent from Mr. Vance’s life, though the two reconnected later in life.
Mr. Vance says both of his parents struggled to maintain stability in their employment, both largely worked a series of odd jobs over the years.
DON'T' MISS THIS IMPORTANT VIDEO
Former U.S. Army sniper Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., reflects on the attempt to kill former President Trump at his Pennsylvania rally on 'Jesse Watters Primetime. Watters ended with:
"THE DEVIL WAS IN PENNSYLVANIA, BUT SO WAS GOD!"
.png) Former US Army sniper on Trump assassination attempt: 'One of the easiest shots' |
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