In the wake of the shooting against former President Donald Trump, the US Secret Service has been receiving a wave of criticism by many online.
One of these criticisms has centered on the agency’s push for DEI, which critics blame for the lackluster job the Secret Service did in protecting Trump. In response, the Secret Service has come out to angrily denounce this rhetoric and protect its female agents in a strongly worded statement.
Secret Service Statement
On Wednesday, the US Secret Service delivered a statement to NBC News responding to DEI criticisms from online commenters, pundits, and influencers.
“We stand united against any attempt to discredit our personnel and their invaluable contributions to our mission and are appalled by the disparaging and disgusting comments against any of our personnel,” said Secret Service Chief of Communication Anthony Guglielmi.
Baseless Criticism
The agency told NBC News that these DEI criticisms are baseless and that all of their agents are fully capable of performing their jobs.
“As an elite law enforcement agency, all of our agents and officers are highly trained and fully capable of performing our missions,” said Guglielmi.
DEI Hire
This response by Gugliemi follows a campaign of criticism online following the shooting against female agents and female Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle.
“ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING! This Monday, @GOPoversight will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to discuss the utter FAILURE that took place at President Trump’s rally on Saturday. She has a lot of explaining to do. But I also think this DEI hire should RESIGN!” wrote US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene on X.
Insult to Women
In the statement to NBC, Gugliemi disavowed the insulting language used against female agents.
“It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender. Such baseless assertions undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise of our workforce,” said Gugliemi.
Female Agents
Based on videos and NBC reporting, there were at least three female agents who were part of the detail protecting Trump at the rally where he was injured in the ear by gunfire.
These agents became the targets of criticism and jokes and have been blamed for the failure to protect Trump online in the aftermath of the shooting.
Gun Holstering
One agent, in particular, was heavily criticized for a widely shared clip that appeared to show her repeatedly failing to holster her own gun.
“The complete incompetence of the ladies of the Secret Service are on full display. One of the agents can’t properly holster her sidearm while another fiddles around with her sunglasses trying to look cool for the crowd. Absolutely pathetic,” said X user Ian Miles Cheong.
Viral Criticism
One X post that garnered over 10 million views by user Vince Langman showed a side-by-side comparison of the Secret Service “Before DEI” and “After DEI” using the female Secret Service agent failing to holster their gun for comparison.
“As a woman…I would want men on my detail!!” one X user wrote in response.
Crouching Agent
Another female agent was criticized for being photographed crouching away from the president. However, retired Secret Service agent Kenneth Valentine has come out to assert the photo doesn’t prove the agent was in the wrong position.
“There are a lot of reasons why she might not be on top of that pile,” Kenneth said in an interview. Kenneth asserted it was possible that, at that moment, the agent was approaching the president from far away or could have been following orders to switch positions.
Pushing DEI
The Secret Service has its own DEI division, known as the Office of Equity, headed by DEI director Loucious Hires. In a 2023 podcast, Hires expressed that the push for DEI is being done “every day” at the agency.
“I could talk on and on what the agency is doing to promote diversity, equity and inclusion… DEI is every action every day,” Hires said. “So the opportunity for improvement for every employee within the Secret Service is to ask themselves, ‘What action are you doing every day?’”
Recruit Directives
Last year, Secret Service director Cheatle put forward an initiative that aimed to have 30% of the agency’s recruits be female by 2030.
“I’m very conscious as I sit in this chair now, of making sure that we need to attract diverse candidates and ensure that we are developing and giving opportunities to everybody in our workforce, and particularly women,” Cheatle said.
Women in the Secret Service
Critics of the Secret Service’s performance, particularly conservatives, have questioned the reasonability of women operating in such critical positions.
“Women should NOT be in these positions,” wrote X user Kat Kanada. “Does any celebrity use a woman for their primary detail…cannot think of one. But because it’s a government job we have to settle for DEI and a lesser standard,” wrote an X user.
