How do you protect a president?
Americast
BBC
4.3 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 September 2024
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After a second assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, Americast hears from a former Secret Service agent on what goes into protecting a secret service agent, particularly on a golf course. Sarah, Justin and Marianna are joined by Bill Gage, who helped protect President George W. Bush and President Obama. They discuss what went wrong, what secret service agents hide in their golf bags, and he also picks out out some of his most memorable experiences on the job.
HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Sarah Smith, North America Editor • Marianna Spring, Disinformation & social media correspondent
GUEST: • Bill Gage, former Secret Service agent
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This episode was made by Purvee Pattni with Rufus Gray, Catherine Fusillo and Claire Betzer. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:04.6 | Two big problems when presidents and people running for the presidency are shot at and otherwise |
| 0:09.6 | harassed and attacked. |
| 0:11.7 | Number one is a practical one. What do they do that it can't go out and be with the people and that affects a campaign? |
| 0:16.8 | Number two is a bigger one. It affects America doesn't it because if you can't have proper campaigns and you can't trust people in most circumstances |
| 0:25.8 | to be peaceful, then that plainly undermines democracy. |
| 0:28.9 | Donald Trump, talking about the second attempt on his life and as you might expect using it for the best |
| 0:34.0 | political gain he could get out of it. And God has now spared my life it must have |
| 0:39.1 | been God thank you. Not once but twice and there are those that say he did it because Trump is going to |
| 0:58.4 | turn this state around he's going to turn this country around he's going to make |
| 1:01.6 | America great again and maybe well all right |
| 1:05.5 | but a more prosaic question how do the secret service how does America protect the |
| 1:09.8 | people at the top of its politics. Welcome to Americast. |
| 1:15.0 | Americast from BBC News. |
| 1:18.0 | There was blood pouring everywhere and yet I had God on my side. |
| 1:23.6 | So I decided the best way forward |
| 1:25.5 | is to pass the torch for a new generation. |
| 1:27.4 | You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? |
| 1:30.3 | We're effectively run in this country |
| 1:32.2 | by a bunch of childless cat ladies. |
| 1:33.8 | You know it, you feel it. |
| 1:35.3 | These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell. |
... |
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