Secret Service to conduct threat exercise at White House while Trump is away

The Secret Service will conduct a routine active threat exercise at the White House while President Trump is out of town for a summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The exercise will start Friday at 8 p.m. and last five hours. The agency said the public may hear simulated gunfire and see increased law enforcement around the area.

There will be no road closures, though some sidewalks near the White House will be closed to pedestrians.

“All exercises being conducted are routine and are not expected to significantly impact the public,” the Secret Service said.

The Secret Service has been under the microscope after the attempted assassination of Mr. Trump at a July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Bullets shot by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks grazed Mr. Trump’s ear, leaving him bloody on the face as agents rushed to cover him. Corey Comperatore, a firefighter attending the rally, was killed in the attack, and two others in the rally crowd were severely injured.

Crooks, who was shooting from atop a nearby building, was killed by Secret Service counter-snipers.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned under pressure from Congress after the assassination attempt. A report from a bipartisan House task force called the incident “preventable.”

Evidence the group had obtained showed inadequate planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners before the rally and “fragmented lines of communication and unclear chains of command” on the day of the event.

Secret Service agents stopped a second assassination attempt at Mr. Trump’s Florida golf course last September.

Six agents who worked at the Butler rally were suspended without pay or benefits for periods ranging from 10 to 42 days. When the agents returned to work, they were given restricted duty or roles with fewer operational responsibilities.

In announcing the suspensions, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said he’s “committed to ensuring our agency is fully equipped, resourced, and aligned to carry out our important mission each and every day.”

The agency also said it implemented numerous reforms to make sure it is better prepared should another incident arise.

“The reforms made over this last year are just the beginning, and the agency will continue to assess its operations, review recommendations and make additional changes as needed,” the agency said.