Timeline of shootings, threats against Trump over the years
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump addresses reporters after an apparent assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images
A shooter is dead after opening fire near the White House Saturday night, adding to a growing list of gunfire incidents targeted at or near President Trump.
The big picture: Saturday's attack is the latest dating back to Trump's first presidential campaign, a record unlike any other modern president has faced. It spans lone gunmen at his rallies, Iranian state-backed murder-for-hire plots and repeated security breaches.
The latest: The Secret Service, in a statement provided by the White House Saturday night, confirmed that a man approached a checkpoint, took a gun from a bag and began shooting. Officers quickly returned fire.
- The shooter later died at a hospital.
The Secret Service also confirmed that a bystander was shot, but said it wasn't clear by whom.
- There were no further details on the shooter or a motive.
Catch up quick: Trump has survived multiple prior assassination attempts, including two during his 2024 campaign. Both exposed Secret Service failures that prompted investigations and leadership purges at the agency.
- Butler, Pennsylvania: Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired from what the FBI called an "AR-style 556 rifle" at a Trump rally in July 2024. He grazed Trump's right ear and killed an attendee, and was later killed by a Secret Service sniper. A subsequent Senate report faulted Secret Service planning, communications and leadership.
- West Palm Beach, Florida: Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted with a rifle at Trump International Golf Club in September 2024 while Trump was playing on the course. A Secret Service agent fired at Routh, who fled and was arrested. He is now serving a life sentence.
- White House Correspondents' Dinner: Cole Allen faces charges of attempted assassination after storming the annual media dinner in Washington in April 2026.
Zoom in: Beyond those attempts, Trump has faced a series of other plots, threats and security failures.
- June 2016: A 20-year-old British national tried to grab a police officer's gun at a Trump rally in Las Vegas, later telling agents he meant to kill Trump.
- September 2017: A man stole a forklift in North Dakota and aimed it at the presidential motorcade, planning to flip the limousine.
- September 2020: A dual French-Canadian citizen mailed Trump a letter containing deadly ricin.
- July 2024: A Pakistani national was arrested and later convicted of running a murder-for-hire plot on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to kill Trump. Months later, an Iranian charged with attempting to kill another U.S. citizen said he'd also been directed to kill Trump.
- February 2026: Secret Service killed a 21-year-old who brought a shotgun and a gas canister to Mar-a-Lago while Trump was back in Washington.
The bottom line: Trump has acknowledged the growing list of threats, but previously told reporters he has no plans to scale back public appearances.
- "We're not going to let anybody take over our society," the president said after the correspondents' dinner incident. "We're not going to cancel things out because we can't do that."
