Donald Trump heads to Michigan for first rally since assassination attempt
(CBS DETROIT) - Former President Donald Trump and his recently named running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will be coming to Michigan this weekend for their first rally together. It is also the first Trump rally since the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
The rally on Saturday will be held in downtown Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena and will be open to the public.
"They have to prepare for an all-threat, all-hazard approach. To basically not only just protecting the candidates, but they have to protect the public as well," said Al Shenouda, managing partner at City Shield Security Services in Detroit and the AmeriShield Protection Group.
Shenouda was formerly the anti-terrorism director for the Department of Homeland Security, advising on security for events from the Super Bowl to the 2008 Republican National Convention.
He said security at the rally in Grand Rapids will be tight following the assassination attempt, in preparation for potential copycats and what he calls the "echo effect."
"The echo effect is another type of adversary who wants to commit the attack, not just because they're envious or they want their 15 minutes; they want to continue to project the initial violence, especially the psychological impact associated with the violence. So very similar to an echo chamber, they want that echo effect to continue to resonate, so they can terrorize the mass public some more," Shenouda said.
He said federal, state and local law enforcement will be in place inside and out of the event venue.
"Van Andel is an area that runs a professional sports league program, very much like Comerica Park or Little Caesars Arena here. So they're used to a lot of these protective measures," Shenouda said.
Shenouda said security measures could increase beyond what's typically seen.
"Presidential candidates don't have a temporary flight restriction, a no-fly zone if you would. They don't get that. That might very well change now so that they can control the airspace," he said.