Asiye Yilmaz
26 April 2026•Update: 26 April 2026
US President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday evening after shots were fired outside the event. He remained unharmed.
Since 2016, Trump has been targeted in assassination attempts, alleged foreign-linked plots and armed security breaches, including incidents at rallies, his Florida resort and official events.
Here's a timeline of attacks against Trump over the years:
Assassination attempts
Sept. 15, 2024 – Armed suspect Ryan Wesley Routh spotted with a rifle near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida; he was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
July 13, 2024 – Trump wounded in the ear in an assassination attempt at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania; one rallygoer killed, and two others injured; suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks also killed.
Other threats
April 25, 2026 – An armed suspect opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton while Trump was attending; Trump remained unharmed and the suspect was arrested.
Feb. 22, 2026 – Secret Service shot and killed Austin Tucker Martin, an armed man who breached the secure perimeter at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort; Trump was at the White House at the time.
Nov. 8, 2024 – US prosecutors charged Farhad Shakeri, accused of being an IRGC asset, over an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting an Iranian-American person and said he had also been tasked with plotting to assassinate Trump; Shakeri remains at large in Iran.
July 12, 2024 – Pakistani national Asif Merchant was arrested in an alleged Iran-linked murder-for-hire plot targeting US political figures, including Trump; he was convicted in March 2026.
Sept. 20, 2020 – Dual Canadian-French citizen Pascale Ferrier was arrested after mailing a letter laced with ricin poison to Trump at the White House; she was later sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison.
Sept. 6, 2017 – Gregory Lee Leingang stole a forklift in North Dakota and admitted he intended to attack Trump’s motorcade and flip the presidential limousine; he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced.
June 18, 2016 – British national Michael Sandford tried to grab a police officer’s gun at a Las Vegas rally, later saying he intended to shoot Trump; he was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
