Salena Zito points to perimeter security after WHCA dinner
Salena Zito, a Washington Examiner columnist who was present at the 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, said that after a third assassination attempt-this time linked to the White House Correspondents’ association dinner-the biggest security issue likely lies with perimeter defenses rather than the immediate detail closest to President Donald Trump.she argued that agents surrounding Trump are highly reactive and protective, but that gaps or problems “in the details surrounding the perimeters” can leave vulnerabilities.
Zito said that during the Butler shooting, agents quickly formed a physical barrier and shielded trump with their bodies, and she described a similar firsthand experience of being pulled down and protected by a campaign aide until the gunfire stopped. She also discussed a recurring tension between security protocols and trump’s desire to appear in public, noting that he has told her being outside is “very unsafe” but that he still prioritizes projecting strength and continuity-while she believes it’s difficult to stop him from continuing public-facing actions.
Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito said security concerns surrounding President Donald Trump should focus on perimeter protections after a third assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner that echoed vulnerabilities she observed during a 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It appears to me that the men and women that are with him, his detail, that are the closest to him … are very on top of things, very reactionary and very protective,” Zito said on Fox News Live on Saturday. “But it looks like it’s in the details surrounding the perimeters … that is the problem.”
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Zito, who was present at the Butler rally, described how agents quickly surrounded Trump and shielded him during the shooting.
“They were taking him off. They were protecting him with their bodies … they surrounded him,” she said, adding that the response mirrored what she observed in the latest incident.
She also recounted her personal experience during the Butler shooting, saying she continued reporting until a campaign aide pulled her to the ground and shielded her until the gunfire stopped.
Zito said her previous interview with Trump at the White House shed light on the ongoing tension between security protocols and the president’s preference for public engagement.
“He always seems like someone who wants to be out… almost like a caged lion,” she said, noting that Trump told her the Secret Service often warns that being outside is “very unsafe.”
Despite those risks, Zito said Trump has consistently emphasized projecting strength and continuity, even during dangerous moments.
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“I am not Donald Trump. I am representing the office of the presidency … we go on,” she recalled him saying in a conversation following the Butler rally, referring to his decision to continue public appearances.
“I know it’s going to be hard to keep him from doing things,” Zito said. “And I also know it’s going to be hard to have him put a bulletproof vest on … because it projects weakness.”
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