Former President Donald Trump’s appearance at a Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, was interrupted due to a major security concern, marking another incident in a series of recent U.S. Secret Service lapses.
The event, which occurred just two weeks after Trump’s near assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, has raised further questions about the agency’s ability to protect high-profile individuals.
According to law enforcement sources, the delay was caused by two individuals who managed to bypass metal detectors inside the Music City Center shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Secret Service instructed Trump to wait until these individuals were located before taking the stage for his keynote address.
“It was determined that there was no protective interest with these individuals and there was never a threat to the former president,” a Secret Service spokesperson later stated.
The agency confirmed that the two people were “credentialed and screened” but were removed from the premises for not following proper entry protocols.
Sources revealed that the individuals cleared an initial checkpoint but managed to bypass the second screening. After being tracked down, they were ejected from the event and questioned. As of now, neither person has been criminally charged.
The Butler shooting, where a bullet grazed Trump’s ear and left one rallygoer dead and two others critically wounded, has led to intense scrutiny of the Secret Service, with lawmakers demanding answers about the security failures.
The ongoing security concerns have already had significant repercussions within the Secret Service.
Former Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her post last week amid the growing controversy.