Joe Kent
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
There's multiple barricades.
There's really layers of security.
If you're going to a DNC or RNC, you're walking a mile without even being able to drive up.
And yet,
I'm looking at stories about people being able to take pictures of the beast.
Again, the only time I've seen the beast is when I was in the motorcade as a member of the press.
I've never been able to take a picture of the beast just casually, even whenever I was cleared by Secret Service on the White House grounds or whenever it was parked, let's say, at one of Trump's
properties, which he was accompanying on, the shakedown here in terms of the level of security is not even for a normal POTUS-style event, and yet you have 80% of the line of succession.
So this is obvious to you.
It's obvious to me.
Probably more important for you, you're the former National Counterterrorism Director.
But help us square this.
Trump is out here on 60 Minutes saying that Secret Service did a great job.
He doesn't seem to be shaken.
I'm going to take that genuinely in terms of his public messaging.
The deputy attorney general, the acting attorney general, Todd Blanch, said this was not a security failure.
It was a security success story.
Why is it, top to bottom, every member of the admin is consistently defending the Secret Service when people like you and many others are like, hey, there are serious problems here?
I wish I knew the exact answer, but what I can point out from being in the administration is a culture that's almost zero fail or this constant quest for good vibes and good news stories.
There's not a lot of tolerance right now in the administration for saying, hey, we're on the wrong course.