Sheriff vows safety ahead of Trump's meeting with Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago

The day before former President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw on Thursday said the Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Secret Service will keep the event “comfortable” and safe.

“There’s a lot of apprehension out here right now about presidential visits and dignitaries, given what happened,” Bradshaw said during a news conference Thursday, referring to the assassination attempt of Trump on July 13. “Look, we’re well-trained at this. … We’ve never had a glitch.”

Bradshaw urged people not to “think for a minute” the Secret Service is nothing short of “excellent.”

“We know what each other is doing every second,” Bradshaw said, adding: “We’re on top of the ball game, and things will go very smooth.”

On Wednesday, thousands of protesters against the war in Gaza converged on Washington to condemn Netanyahu’s visit, chanting “Free, free Palestine” as they marched toward the Capitol before police deployed pepper spray on some in the crowd, The Associated Press reported.

In response to questions about protests such as the ones seen in Washington D.C., Bradshaw said the Sheriff’s Office has “good intelligence information” and knows what to expect: “If there’s a credible threat, we’ll know about it,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s going to be en masse like it was, but you never know,” he said. “But whatever the number is, we’re fully prepared to make sure that the roadway is going to stay open, people are going to be safe and we’re not going to have any disruption of property.”

Mike Jachles, a spokesperson for West Palm Beach Police, said the department has been in communication with other agencies and is prepared in case protests occur across the bridge. The “main goal is to keep them separated,” he said. “Once they come in contact, that’s when things get terse.”

Residents should be prepared for traffic anywhere from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, he said.

Bradshaw warned against stepping in the road, saying the former president’s motorcade will be moving through, and said the Sheriff’s Office will provide places for people to stand instead.

“In four years that the president (Biden) was here, he had outdoor events, indoor events, traveled all over the place,” Bradshaw said. “Never a problem. Never even close to being a problem. So we’re very confident that we’re well-trained and seamlessly in our operation who will be handling the security, the Sheriff’s Office, Secret Service.”