Michelle Obama wants more security before hitting the campaign trail after assassination attempts against Trump

With less than three weeks to go until Election Day, Michelle Obama has not spoken publicly for Harris since the Democratic National Convention, although she has been actively involved with get-out-the-vote initiatives in the battleground states. She apparently thinks she needs more security to make that extra step of personal appearances, citing the maximum level of US Secret Service (USSS) support that both Trump and Harris are now receiving, NBC News reported Tuesday.

“After the two assassination attempts against former President Trump, the staffs of all the former presidents and first ladies recognized the new reality and so does the Secret Service,” a source close to the Obamas told NBC News, adding that the attempts on Trump’s life are “a wake-up call to everyone” to rethink security levels “in light of the new reality.”

Better late than never, Michelle Obama is expected to join the Harris campaign even closer to Election Day, especially as the vice president is fading in the polls and experiencing trouble in the battleground states. Sources told NBC News that Michelle Obama could make an appearance during the “closing arguments” of the campaign, though she hasn’t officially committed her schedule to that. However, she will definitely “have made her voice heard” by the time voters head to the polls on Nov. 5.

Michelle Obama’s office and the Harris campaign weren’t commenting on the former first lady’s hesitancy to make public appearances. “While we are not able to comment on the specifics of our protective operations, safeguarding former President and Mrs. Obama is a top priority for the Secret Service,” USSS spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

Failed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is also expected to join Harris on the campaign trail in the last two weeks before the election. Up till now, she has hosted a few fundraising events. Former President Bill Clinton isn’t always doing favors for the vice president and he recently upbraided her administration’s lax policy of not “properly vetting” migrants.

Michelle Obama remains fixated on her When We All Vote campaign that seeks to register up to five million voters for the 2024 presidential and Congressional elections.