Official admits security resources pushed to their limits after Trump says his rally was downgraded to protect Iranian president

An official admitted to Blaze News that security resources were being pushed to their limits after former President Donald Trump said his venue was downgraded in order to free up resources for the president of Iran.

'Personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits.'

Trump said during a rally on Sunday that the Biden administration did not allow his campaign to have a 50,000-person audience at a rally in Wisconsin a day earlier due to the lack of available security resources.

"We were going to do an outdoor rally, and we ended up having to do it inside, in front of about a thousand people," Trump said in Erie, Pennsylvania. "But they didn't want me to be outside. They said they couldn't get us enough people because they were guarding the United Nations and Iran."

Trump was referring to a speech given by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. President Joe Biden (D) also gave a speech to the assembly.

U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi released a brief statement to Blaze News about the claims.

"Former President Donald Trump is receiving heightened levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and our top priority is mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times. Out of concern for operational security, we cannot provide specific details about resources allocated for event security or communications between agency personnel and our protectees."

A senior official briefed on the planning but not authorized to speak to the media appeared to confirm Trump's claims in a statement to Blaze News.

"Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo," the official said.

"This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level," the official added.

The Secret Service has faced intense scrutiny over lapses in security that led to the near assassination of the former president and another plot that was thwarted outside of Trump International Golf Course.