RFK Jr. Will Receive Secret Service Protection
Facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Independent candidate for US president, will begin receiving Secret Service protection in the aftermath of Saturday's assassination attempt on former Pres. Donald Trump.1
- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, on orders from Pres. Joe Biden, announced the increased security for Kennedy 'in light of' the shooting of Trump. In addition, Trump called protecting Kennedy 'imperative.'2
- While the Secret Service is authorized to protect major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of a general election, Mayorkas and an advisory committee of House members and senators decide who qualifies as 'major.'3
- Kennedy, whose father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, Pres. John F. Kennedy were both assassinated, has had run-ins with threats — including a man arrested for trespassing twice at Kennedy's home, and another man arrested for impersonating a federal officer at a campaign event.4
- An average of recent polls by RealClearPolitics showed Kennedy with about 9.3% support in national surveys, well behind Trump and Biden.5
- Meanwhile, a Kennedy spokesperson Monday confirmed that Kennedy met with Trump and the former president sought an endorsement. But Kennedy has not dropped out of the race.6
Sources: 1USA Today, 2Forbes, 3The Hill, 4Associated Press, 5New York Post and 6Daily Caller.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. The previous denial of Secret Service protection for Kennedy was based on precedent, as protection was previously doled out based on holding a strong position in the polls for a lengthy period of time — a threshold Kennedy hadn't met. The tragic incident over the weekend changed perspectives on the environment the candidates are operating in, so it's now appropriate to secure Kennedy's events.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by FOX News. It shouldn't have taken an assassination attempt on one of the candidates for the Biden administration to act to protect them all with the Secret Service — yet here we are. Just based on Kennedy's name recognition and his family history, he should've been provided protection rather than having to spend millions on private security. Luckily, the administration has finally acted before Kennedy could face an attack similar to what Trump faced.