A fresh security scare at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has once again drawn attention to a growing pattern of threats against Donald Trump, following reports of gunfire that prompted his swift evacuation from the venue.
The latest incident adds to a series of assassination attempts, plots, and security breaches spanning nearly a decade, from his 2016 presidential campaign to recent years, highlighting persistent risks surrounding the former president despite heightened protection by U.S. security agencies.
Here are timelines of shootings, threats against Donald Trump over the years
The latest incident occurred in April 2026 during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where gunshots were reported around 8:30 p.m. at the Washington Hilton. Secret Service agents swiftly evacuated Trump from the venue, where he was scheduled to speak alongside top officials, marking another major security scare.
In February 2026, the Secret Service shot and killed a 21-year-old suspect who allegedly brought a shotgun and a gas canister to Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in Washington at the time.
In July 2024, U.S. authorities arrested a Pakistani national linked to a murder-for-hire plot allegedly backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, targeting Trump. Months later, another Iranian suspect reportedly confessed to being directed to assassinate the former president.
In September 2020, a dual French-Canadian citizen sent a letter laced with ricin, a deadly toxin, addressed to Trump, prompting a major federal investigation.
In September 2017, a man in North Dakota stole a forklift and attempted to drive it toward Trump’s presidential motorcade, reportedly intending to flip the limousine.
In June 2016, during Trump’s first presidential campaign, a British national attempted to seize a police officer’s firearm at a rally in Las Vegas, later admitting he intended to assassinate Trump.
Trump survived two major assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. In Butler, Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks fired an AR-style rifle, grazing Trump’s ear and killing an attendee before being neutralised by a Secret Service sniper, exposing serious security lapses.
In a separate 2024 incident in West Palm Beach, Florida, Ryan Wesley Routh was spotted with a rifle near Trump International Golf Club while Trump was present. A Secret Service agent engaged the suspect, who fled but was later arrested and is now serving a life sentence.
