A recent poll conducted by the sources for Public Affairs Research has shed light on the American public's perception of the Secret Service's ability to protect presidential candidates in the aftermath of the Trump rally shooting in Pennsylvania.
The survey, which involved 1,143 adults, revealed that only about 3 in 10 Americans express extreme or high confidence in the Secret Service's capacity to safeguard presidential candidates from violence leading up to the upcoming November election.
Following the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, the poll also highlighted a partisan divide in opinions regarding the factors contributing to the Trump assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler.
Democrats largely attribute the incident to the availability of guns, with 6 in 10 Democrats holding this view compared to about one-third of independents and 15% of Republicans. On the other hand, approximately half of Republicans believe the Secret Service bears significant responsibility, while around 4 in 10 Democrats and independents share this sentiment.
Overall, the poll indicated that around 7 in 10 Americans believe the Secret Service holds at least a moderate level of responsibility for the assassination attempt, while half of the respondents feel that local law enforcement in Pennsylvania also shares some responsibility.
Interestingly, a majority of Americans identified political division in the U.S. as having a significant role in the assassination attempt.
Furthermore, only about one-third of Americans expressed strong confidence in the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the Trump assassination attempt.
