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  1. Home
  2. /Assassination Attempts

Trump Assassination Attempts

A sourced timeline of every known attack and plot against Donald Trump, from the 2016 campaign trail to his second term, with what happened to each suspect.

Last updated: October 13, 2026

Quick answer

As of October 2026, there have been four armed attacks treated by authorities as attempts on Trump’s life: Las Vegas (2016), Butler, Pennsylvania (July 2024), West Palm Beach, Florida (September 2024) and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (April 2026). Federal prosecutors have also brought cases over at least three foiled plots, including two linked to Iran.

4
Armed attacks
3
Foiled plots
2
Security incidents

At a glance

DateEventTypeStatus
June 18, 2016Las Vegas rally gun grabArmed attacksClosed. Sentenced and deported.
September 2020Ricin letter mailed to the White HouseFoiled plotsClosed. Serving a 262-month federal sentence.
July 2024Iran-linked murder-for-hire plot (Asif Merchant)Foiled plotsConvicted (March 2026). Awaiting sentencing.
July 13, 2024Butler, Pennsylvania rally shootingArmed attacksClosed. Shooter killed at the scene; motive never determined.
September 15, 2024West Palm Beach golf course ambushArmed attacksClosed. Life sentence imposed.
November 8, 2024IRGC plot charges (Farhad Shakeri)Foiled plotsCharged. Main suspect at large.
February 22, 2026Armed intruder at Mar-a-LagoSecurity incidentsSuspect killed. Motive not publicly established.
April 25, 2026White House Correspondents’ Dinner shootingArmed attacksPending. Trial date not yet reported.
May 23, 2026Shots fired at White House checkpointSecurity incidentsSuspect killed. Motive under investigation.

Armed attacks

Incidents where an armed suspect got close to Trump and authorities treated it as an attempt on his life.

June 18, 2016

Las Vegas rally gun grab

Location
Treasure Island Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Suspect
Michael Steven Sandford, 20, British national
Trump present
Yes

At a campaign rally, Sandford asked a police officer for an autograph and then tried to pull the officer’s holstered pistol. He was restrained immediately and later told Secret Service agents he had planned to shoot Trump.

  • ▶No shots were fired and no one was injured.
  • ▶Pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and disrupting official business.
  • ▶Sentenced on Dec. 13, 2016, to one year and one day; the judge cited his mental health.
  • ▶Released early and returned to the U.K. in May 2017.

Status: Closed. Sentenced and deported.

Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada · ITV News

July 13, 2024

Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting

Location
Butler Farm Show grounds, Butler, Pennsylvania
Suspect
Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Trump present
Yes

During a campaign rally, Crooks fired eight rounds from the roof of a nearby building, about 400 feet from the stage. A bullet struck Trump’s upper right ear. Secret Service agents covered him and he raised his fist as he was led off stage.

  • ▶Rallygoer Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter, was killed shielding his family.
  • ▶Two other attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were critically wounded and survived.
  • ▶Crooks was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
  • ▶Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on July 23, 2024, after congressional criticism.
  • ▶Senate and House reviews faulted Secret Service planning and communication; six personnel were later suspended.

Status: Closed. Shooter killed at the scene; motive never determined.

Sources: Wikipedia · Ballotpedia

September 15, 2024

West Palm Beach golf course ambush

Location
Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Florida
Suspect
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58
Trump present
Yes

A Secret Service agent sweeping the course ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel poking through the shrubbery along the sixth hole and opened fire. Routh dropped an SKS-style rifle and fled without firing. He was arrested on Interstate 95 in Martin County.

  • ▶Trump was several hundred yards away and was not harmed. No one was injured.
  • ▶Routh had camped near the course for about 12 hours.
  • ▶Represented himself at trial and was convicted on all five federal counts on Sept. 23, 2025.
  • ▶Sentenced by Judge Aileen Cannon on Feb. 4, 2026, to life in prison plus seven years.

Status: Closed. Life sentence imposed.

Sources: Wikipedia · FOX 13

April 25, 2026

White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting

Location
Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.
Suspect
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California
Trump present
Yes

At about 8:36 p.m., a gunman forced his way through a security checkpoint in the hotel lobby near the ballroom where the president was attending the annual dinner, and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement. Trump was evacuated unharmed.

  • ▶No attendees or dignitaries were injured.
  • ▶A federal grand jury indicted Allen on four counts, including attempting to assassinate the president.
  • ▶Pleaded not guilty in May 2026.
  • ▶Judge Trevor McFadden delayed the trial schedule due to extensive discovery.

Status: Pending. Trial date not yet reported.

Sources: Wikipedia · Al Jazeera

Foiled plots

Plans to kill Trump that were stopped before an attack, resulting in federal charges or convictions.

September 2020

Ricin letter mailed to the White House

Location
Mailed from Quebec, Canada
Suspect
Pascale Ferrier, French-Canadian national
Trump present
No

Ferrier made ricin at her home in Quebec and mailed it to then-President Trump in a letter calling him “The Ugly Tyrant Clown.” The envelope was intercepted at a mail screening facility before it reached the White House.

  • ▶Also sent ricin-laced letters to eight law enforcement officials in Texas.
  • ▶Arrested at the New York–Canada border while carrying a loaded gun.
  • ▶Pleaded guilty to biological weapons charges in January 2023.
  • ▶Sentenced in August 2023 to 262 months (nearly 22 years), to be deported afterward.

Status: Closed. Serving a 262-month federal sentence.

Sources: CBS News · Al Jazeera

July 2024

Iran-linked murder-for-hire plot (Asif Merchant)

Location
New York
Suspect
Asif Merchant, Pakistani businessman
Trump present
No

Merchant tried to hire hitmen in New York to kill U.S. politicians on behalf of a contact in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Names discussed included Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley. The “hitmen” were undercover FBI agents.

  • ▶Paid undercover agents $5,000 in cash in Manhattan.
  • ▶Arrested in July 2024 before leaving the U.S.
  • ▶Convicted by a Brooklyn federal jury of terrorism and murder-for-hire charges in March 2026.
  • ▶Faces up to life in prison. Iran denies involvement.

Status: Convicted (March 2026). Awaiting sentencing.

Sources: KWTX / Associated Press

November 8, 2024

IRGC plot charges (Farhad Shakeri)

Location
Tehran / New York
Suspect
Farhad Shakeri, Afghan national believed to be in Iran
Trump present
No

The Justice Department charged Shakeri with being tasked by an IRGC official in October 2024 to plan Trump’s killing within seven days, in revenge for the 2020 U.S. strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani.

  • ▶Shakeri allegedly described the plot to FBI agents in recorded phone calls.
  • ▶Two U.S. associates, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, were arrested in New York in a related surveillance plot.
  • ▶Shakeri remains at large. Iran rejects the accusations.

Status: Charged. Main suspect at large.

Sources: USIP Iran Primer

Security incidents

Armed breaches at Trump-protected sites where no link to Trump as a target has been established.

February 22, 2026

Armed intruder at Mar-a-Lago

Location
Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida
Suspect
Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Moore County, North Carolina
Trump present
No

Around 1:30 a.m., Martin entered the resort’s north gate carrying a shotgun and a gas can. When ordered to drop them, he put down the can and raised the shotgun. Two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy fired, killing him.

  • ▶Trump and the first lady were at the White House at the time.
  • ▶No agents or officers were injured.
  • ▶His family had reported him missing days earlier. The FBI is leading the investigation.

Status: Suspect killed. Motive not publicly established.

Sources: NPR

May 23, 2026

Shots fired at White House checkpoint

Location
17th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Suspect
Nasire Best, 21
Trump present
Yes

Shortly after 6 p.m., a man opened fire on a Secret Service checkpoint near the White House. Officers returned fire; he died later at George Washington University Hospital. Trump was inside the White House and was not affected.

  • ▶A 41-year-old bystander was also struck by gunfire.
  • ▶No Secret Service officers were injured.
  • ▶Best had been arrested in July 2025 for trying to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization.

Status: Suspect killed. Motive under investigation.

Sources: NPR · PBS NewsHour

Frequently Asked Questions

How many assassination attempts has Trump survived?+

As of October 2026, there have been four armed attacks treated by authorities as attempts on Trump’s life: Las Vegas (2016), Butler, Pennsylvania (July 2024), West Palm Beach, Florida (September 2024) and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (April 2026). Federal prosecutors have also brought cases over at least three foiled plots, including two linked to Iran.

Was Trump shot in Butler, Pennsylvania?+

Yes. On July 13, 2024, a bullet fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks struck the upper part of Trump’s right ear. He was treated and released the same day. Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed and two other attendees were critically wounded.

What happened to Ryan Routh?+

Ryan Routh was convicted on all five federal counts in September 2025 for the September 15, 2024 ambush at Trump International Golf Club. On February 4, 2026, Judge Aileen Cannon sentenced him to life in prison plus seven years.

Who is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect?+

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is charged with attempting to assassinate the president and three related counts over the April 25, 2026 shooting at the Washington Hilton. He has pleaded not guilty and the case is pending.

Was the February 2026 Mar-a-Lago intrusion an assassination attempt?+

Authorities have not called it one. Trump was at the White House when Austin Tucker Martin entered Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and a gas can and was shot dead. The FBI investigation has not publicly established a motive.

Editorial note: this page lists incidents reported by major news outlets and court records. We only describe an event as an assassination attempt when law enforcement or prosecutors have treated it as one. Pending cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Spotted an error? Contact us.

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