Timeline of Trump assassination attempts as POTUS asked why it 'keeps happening'
With the suspect of the White House Correspondents' dinner shooting due to appear in court shortly, a timeline of the president's assassination attempts has been laid out, after a reporter asked Donald Trump why he believes attacks happen so frequently.
President Trump has confessed that he 'wasn't worried' during the incident that broke out at the White House Correspondents' dinner, held by members of the press and government officials, on Saturday evening (April 25).
Federal officers revealed the identity of the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a 'game developer and teacher' from Torrance, California.
After investigating his home, a family member came forward with a chilling note that Allen had allegedly sent to his close relatives, just ten minutes before gunshots were fired at the Washington Hilton hotel.
Advert
He allegedly named himself the 'Friendly Federal Assassin' in the eerie manifesto, in which he wrote about his targets 'prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest', supposedly not including FBI director Kash Patel.
'I hate to say I’m honored, but I've done a lot'
In the short press conference following the shooting, in which a Secret Service agent was saved by his bullet-proof vest, a reporter asked Trump why he believes attacks keep occurring.
The 79-year-old responded: "I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you, the most impactful people - the people that do the most... the people that make the biggest impact, those are the ones they go after."
Trump added: "They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way. When you look at the people... whether it was an attempt or successful attempt, they’re very impactful people... They’re big names."
The president went as far as to say he was 'honored'.
"I’ve done a lot," he continued. "We’ve taken this country and we were a laughing stock for years, now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world."
Despite the suspect's motive remaining unknown, it's not the first time Trump has been at the center of an occasion where gunshots have rang out.
Timeline of Donald Trump's assassination attempts
The president has been involved in a number of security-related incidents since taking office for the second time, including assassination attempts during his presidency and election campaigns.
July 2024 – Trump shot at Pennsylvania rally
Trump narrowly escaped death by just seconds as he was shot in the ear at a rally during his 2024 election campaign in Butler County.
At least five gunshots were fired as Secret Service agents rushed onto the stage to shield him from the attack.
The shooter was later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who was quickly shot dead by federal officers.
September 2024 – Second assassination attempt
It was September 15 when Trump was at his Florida golf resort around 2pm, when gunshots were heard as he moved between holes with Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East.
The course was swiftly locked down after Secret Service agents spotted a gun in nearby bushes and opened fire.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was later arrested and, in February, was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to kill Trump.
September 2025 – Policeman infiltrates Trump’s security team
Melvin Eng, an off-duty New York Police Department officer, showed up at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Course in tactical gear, allegedly posing as part of Trump’s security.
The policeman was on sick leave with no assignment, but was subsequently suspended pending investigation following the alarming behavior.
February 2026 – Gunman killed after crashing security perimeter at Trump's home
A man armed with a gas can and shotgun was shot dead by Secret Service agents after crashing into the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago, while Trump was in Washington.
The attacker was identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, from North Carolina, but his motive remains unclear.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Mia Williams