Donald Trump says Secret Service were having 'bad day' and made 'mistakes' one year on from assassination attempt

On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired multiple rounds, resulting in Trump’s ear being grazed and firefighter Corey Comperatore being killed.

The attacker was then shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

In a preview clip for an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, which will air in full on Fox Saturday evening, the US president said the Secret Service made 'mistakes.'

He said: "They should have had somebody in the building. That was a mistake. They should have had communications with the local police.

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"So there were mistakes made, that, you know, shouldn't have happened."

However, Trump said he still had 'great confidence' in the Secret Service despite the 'mistakes' made.

He added: "I have great confidence in these people. I know the people. And they’re very talented, very capable.

"But they had a bad day. And I think they’ll admit that. They had a rough day."

Trump also described the day as 'unforgettable' as he recalled getting 'whacked' by a bullet which injured his ear.

He said: "I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There’s no question about that.

"Fortunately got down quickly, people were screaming and I got down quickly, I think he shot eight bullets and one got me and one got another one, and one got another one and one killed Corey the firefighter, great guy.

"You know we had a tremendous, massive crowd, tens of thousands of people were there and our sniper within less than five seconds was able to get him from a long distance with one shot.

"If he didn't do that you would have had an even worse situation, it was really bad, his name is David, he did a fantastic job. He went about his business in less, just about than four seconds.

"That's when it all stopped and he got him perfectly from a very long distance, we got a little bit lucky in that regard."

It comes after it was revealed six Secret Service agents were suspended over the incident.

The suspensions range from 10 to 42 days, with a loss of salary and benefits during the absence, Matt Quinn, the director of the US Secret Service, told CBS News.

Mr Quinn added: "[The] Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler.

"Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again."

Over the past year, the Secret Service has faced scrutiny. Last September, a 94-page Senate report revealed security failures and lack of communication within the US Secret Service "directly contributed" to the shooting.

In September 2024, another apparent attempt on Trump's life happened when Ryan Routh was spotted with a gun at the US President's Florida golf course.