US President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated a Secret Service agent who rushed onstage to protect him from a would-be gunman during a failed 2024 election rally assassination bid to become the agency’s next director.
Sean Curran, the head of Trump’s personal security detail, was among several agents who surrounded Trump as a gunman in Butler, Pennsylvania, opened fire on the then-candidate, leaving him with a bloodied ear, last July.
He was identified by US media as the man in sunglasses to the right of Trump in a series of iconic photos showing the Republican raising a defiant fist as he is escorted offstage with blood trickling down his face.
The nomination flies in the face of a review of Secret Service failures following the attack, which recommended looking to someone with a wealth of experience outside the organisation for its next leader.
“Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service,” Trump posted on his website, Truth Social.
