In the days following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Secret Service, charged with securing the Pennsylvania event, has faced scrutiny for the extraordinary breach that led to the agency’s worst failure in decades.
But one narrative has quickly taken hold in parts of the right-wing media ecosystem: The security failure was the result of workforce diversity initiatives and women working as Secret Service agents.
While the security lapse happened outside of the event’s hard perimeter at a poorly secured building roughly 120 to 150 meters away from the stage, prominent right-wing figures have launched misogynistic attacks, blaming the female agents positioned near Trump as well as Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle, the second woman to hold the top job and an advocate for women to join the force.
