The 20-year-old shooter who opened fire on a Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump rally last Saturday was reportedly able to obtain aerial surveillance footage using a drone prior to the event.

According to the latest report from The Wall Street Journal, the would-be assassin was able to fly a drone along a “programmed flight path” just hours before the July 13 rally began. Officials told the WSJ the fact that the flight path was preprogrammed led them to conclude that he had flown the drone over the venue “more than once as he researched and scoped out the event site.”

Josh Kraushaar shared the WSJ’s report along with a brief quote from the article as a caption: “WSJ, breaking: ‘The gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump was able to fly a drone and get aerial footage of the western Pennsylvania fairgrounds shortly before the former president was set to speak there, law-enforcement officials briefed on the matter said, further underscoring the stunning security lapses ahead of Trump’s near assassination.'”

https://t.co/Jst6T7xLTD

— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) July 19, 2024

Donald Trump Jr. responded to the report as well, noting that at one point he had been barred from flying his own drone on the beach near his family’s home simply because his father had been inside the house at the time.

“Just to underscore how crazy this all is, I was once prevented flying MY OWN drone off of the beach at Mar-a-Lago by USSS because my father was inside the house… Now we have one literally scouting his speech!!!” he posted on X.

Just to underscore how crazy this all is, I was once prevented flying MY OWN drone off of the beach at Mar-a-Lago by USSS because my father was inside the house…
Now we have one literally scouting his speech!!! 🤬 https://t.co/M3BAENqT4f

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 20, 2024

Senator Josh Hawley pointed out the disparity, noting that the Secret Service detail assigned to the event had not used drones to surveil the area — a move that might have clued them in to the shooter’s whereabouts much sooner.

“Yet Secret Service did NOT use drones themselves on the day. The shooter was prepared. They were not,” he remarked.

Yet Secret Service did NOT use drones themselves on the day. The shooter was prepared. They were not https://t.co/knZpGjSrZN

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 19, 2024

“The more we learn, the more clear it is that Director Cheatle needs to resign. This information should have been provided to lawmakers on our briefing, not leaked to the media,” Senator Marsha Blackburn added.

The more we learn, the more clear it is that Director Cheatle needs to resign. This information should have been provided to lawmakers on our briefing, not leaked to the media. https://t.co/kVKupfR1wB

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) July 20, 2024

The Secret Service has been fielding questions about the multiple apparent lapses in security at the Saturday rally, not the least of which being how the shooter was able to attain an elevated position with a clear line of sight under 200 yards from where President Trump was speaking.

As a growing number of prominent Democrats publicly call for President Joe Biden to bow out of the 2024 presidential race, many Americans are asking themselves a simple, yet complicated, question: what happens if Biden resigns?

In the latest episode of “FACTS,” Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro tackles that question and many others related to Biden’s age, cognitive decline, and apparent determination to remain in the presidential race despite a series of disastrous public appearances.

WATCH:

What happens if Joe Biden resigns?

The President faces three potential scenarios—and there are significant constitutional, legal, and social implications for all three. Watch my latest episode of “Facts” where I break down each possible outcome. pic.twitter.com/VMSRSDSEXg

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 19, 2024

In the episode, Shapiro outlines three potential scenarios that could play out before November 5:

What happens if Joe Biden withdraws from the ticket, but does not resign the presidency? What happens if Joe Biden resigns? What happens if Joe Biden dies in office?

The first scenario, Shapiro explains, “would be politically the worst case scenario for the Democrats, who would leave the next nominee carrying Joe Biden’s baggage without ever assuming the power of the presidency.”

The main issue, as Shapiro points out, is that there is no way for the party to force Biden off the ticket if he is not ready to do so willingly. The delegates already pledged to him are bound by the “faithful delegate” rule, which the Democratic National Committee adopted in 1980 “to prevent delegates pledged to then President Jimmy Carter from defecting to Senator Ted Kennedy.”

Shapiro goes on to explain that Biden withdrawing from the race — but not resigning the presidency — would likely lead to chaos.

“If Biden steps down as presumptive nominee after securing the nomination but before the election, say, you know, like this week, the DNC would convene, select a new nominee. That process would involve consultation with Democratic governors, congressional leaders, party officials to ensure a smooth transition,” he says. “This decision could lead to significant internal conflicts within the Democratic Party, going all the way to the convention in Chicago.”

The other two scenarios are far less complicated, at least politically, Shapiro notes. If Biden were to resign the presidency, for example, the 25th Amendment would take effect and the transition would likely be much smoother.

“According to the Presidential Succession Act and the 25th Amendment, if Biden resigns the office of the presidency, then Vice President Harris immediately assumes the presidency,” Shapiro explains. “The process is clear cut. It has historical precedent. When Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 amidst Watergate, for example, Vice President Gerald Ford became president.”

A similar scenario would play out if Biden were to pass away while still holding office, much like the transition from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to President Harry S. Truman in 1945.

But however smooth such a transition might be, it would not be without its complications.

“The death of a sitting president always leads to a period of national mourning and a focus on maintaining stability and continuity. Presumably, Kamala Harris would at least attempt to accomplish just that,” Shapiro notes.

“The sudden change in leadership would, of course, totally upend the 2024 election altering campaign strategies. The Democratic Party would undoubtedly then unify behind Harris in order to maintain electoral momentum … In fact, if a past president dies, the public tends to again have a lot of sympathy for the new president. While some, however, might rally around a new president, Kamala Harris, we live in a very polarized time. Others might question her legitimacy or her readiness.”