Secret Service threat cases soar 40%
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U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers patrol near the White House in 2025. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Threats against people the U.S. Secret Service protects are up about 40% from a year ago, the agency says, as it prepares for Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Why it matters: The surge is forcing the Secret Service to devote more agents and investigative resources to protecting senior government officials, potentially straining other protective operations.
Driving the news: The Secret Service says it has investigated roughly 10,000 threat cases so far this year, about halfway through the year.
- "We are seeing a roughly 40% increase from this time compared to last year," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tells Axios.
- Mental health interventions have increased tenfold from the same period last year, including referrals and both voluntary and involuntary commitments involving people encountered during its protective mission, he says in an email.
The big picture: The increase reflects a broader escalation in threats against senior U.S. officials following years of heightened political violence.
Zoom out: News of the surge comes ahead of Friday's White House Correspondents' Dinner. The original dinner was derailed after shots were fired in the D.C. building where President Trump was due to address the White House correspondents in April.
- A 31-year-old California man, Cole Tomas Allen, faces charges including attempting to assassinate the president.
Context: In addition to protecting the president, the Secret Service is tasked with protecting Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, former presidents, presidential candidates and foreign leaders visiting the U.S.
What they're saying: "We do expect bad people to show up. It's just a reality of where we are," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said at a briefing on security preparation for the correspondents' dinner.
- "But we're treating it no different than any other site that the president goes to."
Go deeper: Timeline of shootings, threats against Trump over the years
