WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has directed the U.S. Secret Service to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F.
Kennedy Jr. , after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the Homeland Security secretary said Monday. Kennedy is a longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency.
But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message. “Thank you, President Biden, for extending me Secret Service protection," Kennedy said in a statement. He also thanked his private security firm, Gavin de Becker & Associates “for keeping me safe for the past 15 months of my presidential campaign.
” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Biden had directed the protection for Kennedy “both prior to and after the events of this past weekend." The Secret Service is legally required to protect major party presidential and vice presidential candidates and their families 120 days out from a general election, but third-party candidates are treated on an as-needed basis. The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged in its 2024 budget overview that recent requests for candidate protection were coming in earlier than in the past.
Threats to political candidates are common, but law enforcement officials have said that there has been an uptick in violent rhetoric since the weekend attack at the Trump rally. Mayorkas said both Biden and Trump are “constantly the subject of threats.” “We are in .