A Rebuke for the Secret Service, a Year After Trump's Near Assassination

WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

The Wall Street Journal

Society & Culture, News

4 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sen. Rand Paul issues a report on the Secret Service's failures to protect Donald Trump last summer in Butler, Pa. What has been learned in the year since then, and does the Secret Service need bigger reforms, such as giving up the job of investigating financial crimes? Plus, the Senate moves on $9 billion in spending rescissions, including cuts to public broadcasting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Oh, that's my prime delivery.
0:01.6	What, already?
0:02.7	Only one thing can match the buzz of Prime's fast delivery.
0:06.2	And that's the buzz of Prime's entertainment.
0:09.0	What are we watching?
0:09.7	Heads of state, that new action comedy with Idris Elber as the Prime Minister,
0:13.3	John Sina as the president, and Prianka Chopra Jonas,
0:15.9	as their only hope.
0:17.0	It looks like a blast.
0:18.2	From fast delivery to explosive entertainment, it's on Prime.
0:22.5	For only $899 a month, join now. Content includes limited ads, subscription or to renews.
0:27.5	For more information, go to amazon.com.uk.U.K. slash prime.
0:32.7	From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.
0:40.5	One year after an attempted assassin fired eight shots at Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The Senate Homeland Security Committee
0:46.8	releases a report on the failures of the Secret Service that day. What are the lessons and
0:51.6	is the agency learning them? Meantime, the Senate moves forward
0:55.3	on about $9 billion in spending recisions requested by President Trump. Welcome, I'm Kyle
1:01.7	Peterson with the Wall Street Journal. We're joined today by my colleagues, editorial board members
1:07.2	Colin Levy and Mene Uqueb Barua. The cascade of protective failures at President
1:12.7	Trump's campaign rally last July are still almost amazing. About an hour and a half before
1:18.0	Trump took the stage, a 20-year-old shooter flew a drone for about 11 minutes to survey the site,
1:24.3	but the Secret Service's aerial counter-unmananned system was inoperable at that time.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Wall Street Journal, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Wall Street Journal and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.