US President Joe Biden has ordered Secret Service protection for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the homeland security chief said Monday.
“In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy Jr,” United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, told journalists.
Kennedy, the scion of America’s most famous political clan, is an environmental lawyer and long-time vaccine sceptic who has no chance of winning in November, but whose candidacy could potentially sway close contests in key swing states.
Trump called earlier in the day for Secret Service protection to be extended to Kennedy.
“In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection — immediately. Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!” Trump posted on social media.
The 78-year-old former president was injured but survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a brazen attack that shocked a nation already deeply polarized ahead of the November election.
