Security incidents involving Donald Trump
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Donald Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts during his presidential campaigns and his first term in office. The earliest known attempt occurred at a campaign rally shortly before he secured the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2016 presidential election.
A major incident took place at a Pennsylvania campaign rally during the 2024 presidential election, resulting in two deaths, including that of the would-be assassin, and an injury to Trump's ear. Another attempt occurred in September 2024 at the Trump International Golf Club.
2016 incident at Dayton, Ohio rally
On March 12, 2016, 22-year-old Thomas DiMassimo was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct as he broke over the police barricade and attempted to rush the stage during a rally in Dayton, Ohio. He was tackled by the Secret Service.[1] On July 26, 2016, DiMassimo was sentenced to one year probation.[2]
2016 incident at Las Vegas rally
On June 18, 2016, Trump was giving a speech at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of his presidential campaign. During the speech, Michael Steven Sandford, a 20-year-old British man, attempted to grab a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer's pistol. The officer quickly subdued Sandford, who was arrested and handed over to the United States Secret Service, where he expressed his desire to murder Trump. Sandford was sentenced to 12 months and one day's imprisonment, along with being fined $200. After becoming eligible for early release, Sandford was released and deported to the United Kingdom in May 2017.
2016 Reno "gun" scare
On November 5, 2016, three days before the presidential election, Trump was speaking at a rally in Reno, Nevada, when a man in the crowd screamed "gun." This caused Trump to be rushed off stage by security, and the man was tackled by surrounding members of the crowd. The man, Austyn Crites, was subdued by Secret Service agents and searched, only to find that he was unarmed. Crites, a Republican who opposed Trump, was holding up a sign shortly before that stated "Republicans against Trump". Crites stated that others attempted to grab the sign and were booing him. After the scene was cleared and identified as safe, Trump returned to the stage minutes later and finished the speech without incident.[3][4]
2017 forklift attack attempt
On September 6, 2017, in Mandan, North Dakota, Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift from an oil refinery and attempted to drive it toward the presidential motorcade while Trump was visiting to rally public support. After the forklift became jammed within the refinery, he fled on foot and was arrested by the pursuing police. While interviewed in detention, Leingang admitted his intent to murder the president by flipping the presidential limousine with the stolen forklift, to the surprise of authorities, who had assumed he was stealing the vehicle for personal use. Leingang pleaded guilty to the attempted attack, stealing the forklift, related charges and several other unrelated crimes on the same day. Consequently, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. His defense attorney noted a "serious psychiatric crisis".[5][6]
2018 ricin poisoning attempt
On October 1, 2018, an envelope laced with ricin was sent to Trump before being discovered by mailing facilities. Several other letters were sent to the Pentagon, all of them labeled on the front with "Jack and the Missile Bean Stock Powder". Two days later on October 3, a 39-year-old Utah Navy veteran named William Clyde Allen III was arrested and charged with one count of mailing a threat against the president and five counts of mailing threatening communications to an officer or an employee of the United States. Allen pleaded not guilty to all charges.[7] He was subsequently remanded for psychiatric evaluation and treatment, and the charges against him were dismissed on January 25, 2022.[8]
2020 escort from press briefing
On August 10, 2020, Trump was escorted from a press briefing by a secret service agent after an armed suspect was shot outside the White House fencing.[9]
2020 ricin poisoning attempt
On September 20, 2020, Pascale Cécile Véronique Ferrier was arrested in Buffalo, New York, while attempting to cross over the border to Canada. Ferrier, who is Canadian, wrote in a ricin-laced letter to Trump that he should drop out of the ongoing 2020 presidential election along with calling him an "ugly tyrant clown". She was charged with eight counts each of prohibitions with respect to biological weapons and making threats via interstate commerce and faced up to life in prison.[10][11] On August 17, 2023, a US court sentenced Ferrier to nearly 22 years in prison.[12]
2020 Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
In October 2020, it was reported that Barry Croft Jr, a Delaware man who was arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, included Trump in a list of politicians he wanted to kill by hanging.[13] In December 2022, Croft was sentenced to 19 years in prison.[14]
2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania
On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots into a Trump rally from an elevated position outside the venue while Trump was giving a speech near Butler, Pennsylvania.[15] Trump was injured and was bleeding from his right ear after the shooting.[16] Crooks, as well as a rally attendee, were killed, while another two were left injured.[17]
2024 assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club
On September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh was sighted bearing a rifle in shrubs at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Donald Trump was golfing at the club. A Secret Service officer shot at Routh, who fled. The suspect was apprehended while driving away. The FBI was investigating it as an assassination attempt.[18]
Authorities later confirmed that Routh did indeed wish to kill the former president.[19] An indictment on April 7, 2025 revealed that Routh was planning the assassination attempt as early as February 2024 with an accomplice who called himself "Ramiro", who lived in Mexico.[20][21] A preliminary trial date was set for September 8, 2025.[22] Routh could face life in prison if convicted.[23]
2024 incident at Coachella rally
On October 12, 2024, a man was arrested near a checkpoint at a Donald Trump rally in Coachella, California. The man had possessed two firearms and ammunition, multiple passports with different names, and an unregistered vehicle with a fake license plate.[24] On the same day, he was released after posting a $5,000 bail.[25][26]
See also
References
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