A Baldwin County man has a unique perspective on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Angelo Fermo previously worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He learned the ins and outs of preparing for a presidential visit. However, when he heard about the shooting, he was shocked.
“We were at a friend’s cookout here, right in the neighborhood, and somebody came running outside and said something,” Fermo said. “I saw the implications of it right away because they were showing that he was shot at but you could see him drop and grab his ear, which I knew right away, he was lucky as could be to escape with just a graze.”
“The first thing that went through my mind when I realized he was okay and he had came up was that, ‘OK, he's got this election in the bag,” he continued. “Now, there's no way you beat this man with an assassination attempt. He was already polling high anyway.”
As a survivor of two near-death experiences, including a car wreck and an active shooter situation, Fermo said he believes the emotions of survivorship can change a person.
“I think you're going to see a different version of Donald Trump, a better version,” Fermo said. “I think that shot coming that close to him, and almost killing him is going to make the difference, you know, down the road in life because it did on me. I think it does on just about on everybody that almost dies, I mean, you join a special club that you don't really want to be in.”
Video of people spotting a guy on the roof surfaced, and Fermo said the scene appeared chaotic and unorganized. He suspects miscommunication led to a disaster.
Fermo said the Secret Service may have gotten complacent because so many previous events went on without a hitch this year. However, he said the teams on the ground are typically focused during events.
“Those teams consist of your SWAT teams, your snipers, your tech guys, fully geared out, fully top of the line everything, equipment,” he said. “I don't understand why they weren't using the resources within the department to fill those gaps in those areas. I mean, you look at the map. I don't even understand how no one was on that roof to begin with. I mean, you should have had somebody up there regardless, even before that guy got up there.”
50 people pointing and yelling “look at that guy on the roof” for several minutes and the secret service did nothing. pic.twitter.com/n6vt9NAQ7d
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) July 15, 2024
The Secret Service is under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the director of the Secret Service is appointed by the president.
While those in Washington, D.C. are pointing fingers at one another, the House GOP is digging for the truth and will question officials next week. In the meantime, Fermo said it appears there were limited resources at the event. He explained that before a visit from a president, local offices are briefed about a month out and the location and all possible threats are reviewed.
“Not only do they do that, but they go through a list of every potential person that may be a threat to the president and then start doing surveillance and research on that individual,” Fermo revealed. “So, they're doing advanced research operations on that area well before anybody ever gets there. Social media, they're doing all that stuff. And then they tap into the local offices for resources, the sheriff's department, the chief, you know, the cities and the highway patrol.”
Another concern is the imbalance created by President Joe Biden appointing the person in charge of security for his political opponent.
“[Secret Service Director Kimberly] Cheatle was on Biden's security detail when he was a Vice President,” Fermo remembered. “So that's how she got appointed to that position. That's an appointed position. There is 100% a political thing there because you also have a Biden appointee in charge of the FBI who's making decisions about how the bureau functions and operates.”
“But yes, when you're having political appointees with a political bias situation, making decisions against the other party, it's going to start affecting it,” he said.
Fermo is also concerned about the reaction if Trump doesn’t win the election. He said it would be difficult to convince people the election wasn't rigged.
During his time working for the government, Fermo said things weren’t as political as they have become.
“Biden gives them the job because they're his buddy, or they donate to the campaign, or they were on his detail,” he added. “And the next thing you know, your entire agency is coming to a grinding halt. It's not doing how it's supposed to be done.”
Fermo said the video of the moments shots were fired and the reaction by Trump supporters was powerful. He said he hopes that patriotism inspires others.
“All the people in the stands behind him where, I mean, there's gunfire going on, there's people doing CPR on other people there in the crowd, and nobody's running away,” he said. “They’re standing there to see what's going on with him, and then you see him, it's almost like watching a football game or something where everybody just stands up and starts cheering. As soon as I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I'd go to fight battle for this man any day of the week.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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