NEW YORK MINUTE: The Republican National Convention kicks off today in Milwaukee. New York figures, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, have speaking roles, and many others will be there for the festivities. Watch live and follow our coverage at politico.com/rnc. SECURITY BOOST: Lessons from the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump need to be learned fast in order to beef up protection around candidates around the country, ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin told Playbook Sunday in an interview. “We were a millimeter away from an extremely dark and uncertain time in our country,” said Zeldin, a Trump supporter. “This is consequential at a much bigger level and was almost an extraordinarily tragic disaster for our nation’s politics.” Zeldin has experience with security issues at political rallies. Two years ago, as he was running for governor, a man physically accosted Zeldin during a rally in Monroe County with a keychain that had two sharp points. No one was seriously injured and the assailant, David Jakubonis, was given three years probation. But Zeldin received more security from local police at subsequent rallies as a result. Now with the Republican National Convention kicking off today in Milwaukee, Zeldin said the information gleaned from the probe should be implemented quickly amid questions over how the alleged shooter was able to access a rooftop so close to where Trump was speaking Saturday in Butler, Pa. “Whatever lessons need to be learned about what went wrong, they need to be not just learned, but addressed instantly —especially with the RNC starting,” he said. And Zeldin believes security questions need to be assessed for all candidates and officeholders. “We have to ensure everyone is safe,” he said. “In this case learning lessons of the past, whether you’re an incumbent or a challenger, we should be ensuring that political scores are being settled only at the ballot box.” The 2022 incident for Zeldin is not close to the same scale of what unfolded in Pennsylvania on Saturday: A gunman opening fire, killing one spectator and injuring two more people and a former president getting rushed off the stage by the Secret Service. Still, both events are of a broader piece in which violence at political rallies, or baseball practices, or constituent meet-and-greets, has occurred over the last decade. Threats against members of Congress and elected officials have increased in recent years as political tribalism and toxic partisan rhetoric has expanded — so much so that some lawmakers have dipped into their own campaign funds to boost security at their homes. Democratic elected officials — including President Joe Biden during an Oval Office address Sunday night –- condemned political violence. Mayor Eric Adams, whose office moved to strengthen the NYPD’s presence around Trump Tower, appeared at a unity event Sunday with the Rev. Al Sharpton and clergy leaders. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in an interview on NBC Sunday morning also called for calm. “We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have,” Johnson said. But Zeldin, who hasn’t ruled out another run for governor in 2026, wasn’t as conciliatory. “To be candid, I am extremely put off and disturbed by some who want to blame President Trump and his supporters as if they are responsible for this attempted assassination,” he said. “We’ve seen this happen time and again.” — Nick Reisman IT’S MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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