Two potential candidates in the running for Ag Secretary if former President Donald Trump wins in November were also at the rally in Butler, Pa., when Trump was shot in the ear on Saturday. Sid Miller, Texas Ag Commissioner, and Kip Tom, an Indiana farmer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, were both in attendance Saturday.
Both men recounted their first-hand experience, while also saying the silver lining after the event is how Americans — especially those at the rally — came together to help one another. And what’s followed since, has been a sense of unity and patriotism that is changing the tone of the Republican National Convention taking place in Wisconsin this week.
“It almost feels a little bit like what 911 did,” Tom told “AgriTalk’s” Chip Flory Monday morning during an exclusive interview. “People seem more unified. When I watched the people leave where the rally was being held there in Butler, Pa., you saw people that didn’t know at the other ones, they’re helping the elderly get out, they helped them with their children. Everybody put their arms around each other and worked as one as they left in a very calm situation. I can think of other things that could have happened, it could have been people stampeding out the place, but the reality is people remain calm, they reunify, they’re talking to each other. And I’m telling you, today I’m up here at the RNC convention in Milwaukee, and you just feel the vibes of what it’s like to see a unified party and how people are trying to make sure we make America great again.”
Tom joined “AgriTalk” Monday morning to explain what he saw and heard during the assassination attempt on Saturday as he had a front-row seat.
“I want to start out by saying, you know, my heart and condolences go out to the family that lost a husband and a father, a neighbor, a firefighter who was sitting about 50' behind me with his family when bullets that were coming into the theater area where the President was speaking. So I also want to say thank you to all of the Armed Service guards who were there from the Secret Service through the local sheriffs and counties that were there to make sure that we had a safe environment,” Tom said. “Unfortunately, I feel that there was probably a failure at the very top of the Secret Service, providing adequate resources in terms of human talent, and the technical knowledge to get things done at that event to protect us all.”
Tom says there were tens of thousands of people in attendance on Saturday, which started when the gates opened at 8 a.m. He describes it as a hot and humid day, with temperatures reaching 95°F.
“These people were here to hear Donald Trump speak and talk about his plan for America,” he says. “I had a front row seat, but I think everybody in that audience actually had a front row seat, just see what happened on July 13 in Butler, Pa. So once the shooting started, people took notice to it.”
Tom says as soon as he heard the gunfire and saw Trump immediately go down, the first thing that flashed in his mind was the JFK assassination.
“Just all that transpired after the JFK assassination, and how our nation actually changed course, when we went under Lyndon B. Johnson, and just how the administration at that time dealt with plenty of issues that our country was facing at that time. So this could have been a big event changing the pathway for our nation going forward in the future. But fortunately, for the president, he’s okay,” Tom says.
Tom went on to say the assassination attempt should have never happened, and the failure falls on the Secret Service considering the Secret Service determines what level of security they want to provide different diplomats of the U.S.
“In the case of a former president, when someone is the presumed nominee, it really doesn’t change anything. When they’re the nominee, it elevates a little bit more. And of course, when they’re the president they have full on support of the Secret Service to make sure that a commander in chief remains safe,” Tom explains. “But in the case here, obviously Donald Trump isn’t the presumed nominee, he is the nominee, even though we’re holding convention this week, he’s got the ballots. He’s got the votes to make it happen.”
Tom says what he hopes to see is an increase in security for Trump, but also an investigation into Saturday’s shooting.
“I think there will be a hearing probably in the Senate or the House very soon, or maybe both chambers to address these issues with the director of the Secret Service to say, ‘How could this happen?’ This isn’t just about the president, it’s about Americans who were in that audience that were not protected from a man who’s 140 yards from the podium,” Tom says.
Farm Journal Washington correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer reports Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was close to former President Donald Trump when Trump was shot in the ear at the rally this weekend. Standing just 30' away, Miller described the scene to KHOU-11, a Houston TV station. Wiesemeyer says Miller initially mistook the gunshots for a balloon pop and then a firecracker, Miller realized the danger when Trump stopped speaking. It wasn’t until the third shot that Miller realized it was gunfire. The incident lasted about five to six seconds.
Miller, who is a potential candidate for USDA Secretary if Trump wins the presidency again, shared his experience on social media, expressing shock and gratitude that Trump was not seriously injured. He also expressed sorrow for the innocent bystander who was killed and emphasized the need for unity and courage. Miller plans to campaign for Trump this summer and was heading to the Republican National Convention after the rally. His presence at the shooting has garnered significant media attention in Texas.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Miller observed that three people directly behind him were hit:
• A man who was struck in the head and died
• A woman hit in the chest, who remained in critical condition
• Congressman Ronnie Jackson’s, R-Texas, nephew, who sustained a superficial neck wound
In response to the incident, Miller called for increased mental health support and a reevaluation of security measures for political candidates. He also urged the Biden administration to provide security detail for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who currently lacks such protection.
During the RNC this week, the tone is changing to a more unified one, according to Tom, who is representing Indiana at the convention his week.
“I know Trump is changing many of his speeches that he’ll be delivering throughout the convention time frame from Monday through Friday,” Tom says. “I know that he’s going to try to get people more unified, and he wants to unify the nation. Let’s face it, we’ve had fringes in both parties that have been kind of controlling the narrative, and I hope that we can bring those together and make sure we get our country on the right path to make sure we do always stand for all Americans.”
Also of note during the RNC this week, Wiesemeyer reports Jim Chilton a fifth-generation rancher from Arivaca, Ariz., will be speaking. His family has been in the cattle business for nearly 140 years. Chilton’s ranch extends to the U.S./Mexico border and is located in a top corridor for drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Wiesmeyer says Chilton appears to have been selected to speak at the convention to address immigration and border security themes from the perspective of a rancher whose property is directly affected by these issues.
He has testified before Congress multiple times about the challenges faced by ranchers in border areas. His inclusion aligns with the Republican Party’s focus on border security and immigration policy for the upcoming election.
In 2003, Chilton was named Rancher of the Year by the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association. He has also received other awards, including: The True Grit award from the Arizona Cattle Growers, the Individual of the Year award from an unspecified organization, the Arizona Farm Bureau Oscar for outstanding achievement and the Farm Bureau Environmental Stewardship award. His wife, Sue Chilton, purchased the ranch near Arivaca with her husband in 1987, and they later expanded their operation by buying the neighboring Flying X ranch in 1991. Together with Jim, Sue implemented grazing management programs and conducted detailed environmental monitoring on their ranch.
They have been recognized as cooperators with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) since 1980. Sue was appointed by Arizona Governor Jane Hull to serve a five-year term on the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. In this role, she worked to improve relations between the Game and Fish Department and rural residents who provide wildlife habitat.
