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But normally they do risk any other people? No, not at all. People are miles from where the robot could potentially go even after it is remotely aborted/blown up.

It's not just the area where the first stage might touch down, it's how far large pieces of debris might be thrown in a worst case RUD.

Plus, the Secret Service may be feeling far less tolerant of "eh, it's less than a 1 in BigNum chance of anyone getting hurt" odds than your average Tom, Dick, or Harry.

Sounds a bit farfetched, not like they wouldn't hear it later?

Trump, and Musk, and Cruz (US Senator), and Saltzman (USSF General), and a fair number of other VIP's.

Whatever was or wasn't going wrong in the booster during its landing approach, I'd for-sure bet that the "acceptable" parameters for a chopstick landing were tightened down quite a ways from the prior launch. (Or such a landing had simply been ruled out, by Security fiat.)