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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Graig Graziosi

Trump says Biden, Harris forced him to hold rally in 750 seat theater due to lack of Secret Service protection

AFP via Getty Images

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Donald Trump is claiming that he could only campaign in a 750-seat theatre because Vice President Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are using Secret Service assets to protect the President of Iran, who he claims is “doing everything possible to kill me.”

In a Truth Social post Trump made on Monday, he claimed that Harris and Biden were “going out of their way to make it difficult for me to Campaign.”

“We had one of the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen on Saturday, in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where a terrible migrant crime was recently committed, and we ended up having to use a 750 seat theater, having to send away more than 50,000 people,” he wrote.

He said the reason they had to use such a small venue was due to a lack of Secret Service protection.

“They were unable to give us Secret Service protection commensurate with the crowd, because they had to protect the President of Iran, who is doing everything possible to kill me, at the United Nations event,” he said.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on September 28, 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

Last week Trump’s campaign said that US intelligence officials briefed him on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.”

The campaign did not elaborate on the claims, and it is unclear if the threats are new or are referencing past incidents. The Iranian government has not commented on the claims, but has previously denied any claims that it was attempting to interfere in US affairs.

The Secret Service did confirm that its assets were “pushed to their limit” securing the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to CBS News. There is no indication that any of their agents were intentionally denied to Trump at the behest of Harris or Biden.

A Secret Service official, who spoke anonymously to CBS News, said the agency was responsible for “the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level.”

Trump said in his Truth Social post that “we complained ‘like hell,” but there was nothing we could do.”

The campaign rally was originally scheduled to take place outdoors at an airport on Saturday, but was ultimately moved to the smaller, indoor venue.

Make sense of the US election with The Independent’s experts in our exclusive virtual event ‘Harris vs. Trump: who will make history?’ Reserve your space here.

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