Donald Trump has revealed why he does not wear a bulletproof vest despite multiple assassination attempts, joking that it might make him look fat. Speaking from the Oval Office, the former US president told reporters he was aware a vest was something to consider but said he would not wear one during public appearances.
“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump said. He added that he had been asked about it and acknowledged it was something to consider, but noted that wearing a vest could be seen as “giving in to a bad element”.
The comments come after a man allegedly attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives in an attempt to kill Trump. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, appeared in federal court on Thursday and agreed to remain jailed pending trial. A Secret Service officer was shot but survived because he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest.
In other news, Trump announced he would remove tariffs on Scottish whisky, crediting the King and Queen for persuading him. “People have wanted to do this for a long time, but the King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do,” he said. Buckingham Palace thanked Trump, saying the King would “raise a dram” to the president’s thoughtfulness.
