Melania Trump sent a message to the American people on Sunday in response to the attempted assassination on her husband, former President Donald Trump, during a rally in Pennsylvania the day before. Her statement mentioned their son Barron, the suspected gunman who has been killed by law enforcement, and the families of the other victims — one of whom was killed in the attack. She also thanked law enforcement and talked about the human side of her spouse in a way not often seen publicly from the former first lady.

“I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans. We have always been a unique union. America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” Melania Trump said. “When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change. I am grateful to the brave secret service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.”

“To the families of the innocent victims who are now suffering from this heinous act, I humbly offer my sincerest sympathy. Your need to summon your inner strength for such a terrible reason saddens me,” she continued. “A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion — his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life — his human side — were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”

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— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) July 14, 2024

Melania Trump went on to discuss the tense political climate as her husband runs another campaign for the White House, setting up a 2020 rematch against President Joe Biden in November’s election. Her statement further called for unity among the American people regardless of their political leanings, advocated for love and community to prevail over hatred, and thanked those who have reached out across the political divide.

“Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment — until death — is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings,” Melania Trump said. “We are all humans, and fundamentally, instinctively, we want to help one another. American politics are only one vehicle that can uplift our communities. Love, compassion, kindness and empathy are necessities.”

“And let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together, while we are here, in this earthly realm,” Melania Trump  added. “Dawn is here again. Let us reunite. Now. This morning, ascend above the hate, the vitriol, and the simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us must demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.”

She concluded, “I am thinking of you, my fellow Americans. The winds of change have arrived. For those of you who cry in support, I thank you. I commend those of you who have reached out beyond the political divide — thank you for remembering that every single politician is a man or a woman with a loving family.”

Months before the Secret Service apparently missed a gunman on a rooftop and a female agent was seen on video struggling to put her gun in her holster after Donald Trump was shot, there were indications that the Biden administration’s focus on identity politics had undermined competence at the protective agency.

Biden appointed Kimberly A. Cheatle as director; the second link on the agency’s website, after “Leadership,” is now “Diversity.” A focus for Cheatle has been getting more  female officers, which she says are underrepresented—which has historically been the case because they are smaller and less able to defend the president.

In April, a female agent allegedly attacked her own supervisor in a mental breakdown, Real Clear Politics reported at the time. Michelle Herczeg was relieved from duties defending Vice President Kamala Harris after she “snapped” while at Joint Base Andrews, where Air Force One and Air Force Two travel from.

She “began mumbling to herself, hid behind curtains, and started throwing items, including menstrual pads, at an agent.”

“Herczeg also screamed at the special agent in charge (SAIC), rattling off the names of female officers on the vice president’s detail and claiming they would show up and help her and allow her to continue working,” Real Clear Politics reported.

Then she “snapped entirely,” as one source put it. “Herczeg then chest-bumped and shoved her superior, then tackled him and punched him. The agents involved in restraining Herczeg were especially concerned because she still had her gun in the holster. They wrestled her to the ground, took the gun from her, cuffed her, and then removed her from the terminal,” the story said.

The April incident led Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service officer and Republican, to react: “Someone is going to get killed.”

The Secret Service did not show up to a press conference Saturday night on the assassination attempt. At the press conference, FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek acknowledged it was “surprising” that the shooter managed to plant himself on a rooftop and get off several shots before being stopped by the agency.  He said the Secret Service “needs to answer that question.”

Video after the shooting shows numerous female Secret Service agents struggling in a crowd filled with larger men. One fumbles with her gun, while another adjusts her sunglasses.

In 2017, a Secret Service agent lost her job after stating on social media that she “wouldn’t take a bullet” for Trump, who at the time was a candidate for office.

In May of last year, Cheatle stated goals to have 30% female recruits 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.

The Secret Service currently has an “Inclusion and Engagement Council” that is tasked to “build, foster, create and inspire a workforce where diversity and inclusion are not just ‘talked about’ but demonstrated by all employees through ‘Every Action, Every Day.’”

Security experts are calling into question whether Secret Service did all it could to secure the event where Trump was shot. Video of the incident suggests that counter-snipers had their sights on the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, before he opened fire on Trump.

The Secret Service is pushing back on reports that Trump’s team had a request for additional security denied.

“Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” the spokesman posted to social media on Sunday morning. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”