Trump is no stranger to assassination attempts: A look back at past security incidents
Trump, admin. officials likely targets in WHCD shooting
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says that President Donald Trump and other administration officials were likely the targets of a shooting that happened during the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night. LiveNOW from FOX's Stephanie Coueignoux spoke with Former FBI Agent Richard Kolko to break down the latest.
A gunman who tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and shoot President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet isn’t the first to attempt an assassination on the president.
Saturday night’s shooting is one of at least five major security breaches and assassination attempts Trump has experienced since 2024. Here’s a look back at how they happened:
Timeline of Trump’s assassination attempts
Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting
On July 14, 2024, Trump, then a candidate for his second term, was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when 20-year-old Matthew Thomas Crooks shot at Trump from the roof of a nearby building.
Trump’s ear was injured in the shooting, and one spectator, Corey Comperatore, was killed. Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service agents.
RELATED: 6 Secret Service agents suspended after Trump rally assassination attempt
The FBI said it believes Crooks, who had bomb-making materials in the car he drove to the rally, acted alone. Investigators have found no threatening comments on social media accounts or ideological positions that could help explain what led him to target Trump before the Secret Service rushed him off the stage, his face smeared with blood.
An internal investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of the event led to six Secret Service employees being suspended without pay.
FILE: Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Photo by Rebecca DROKE / AFP
Shots fired at Mar-a-Lago
On Sept. 25, 2024, Trump was playing golf at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, when a Secret Service agent spotted a man aiming a rifle through some bushes near the edge of the course.
The suspect aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing the man to drop his weapon and run away without firing a shot.
RELATED: Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison for attempted assassination of Trump
The gunman, Ryan Routh, was convicted of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before he showed up at Mar-a-Lago. He was sentenced in February to life in prison.
Ryan Routh winks, blows kiss during sentencing
Ryan Routh, the man convicted of trying to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2024, was sentenced to life in prison. LiveNOW's Mike Pache spoke about Routh's sentencing with FOX News multimedia reporter Olivianna Calmes.
NYPD detective pretended to be part of Trump’s security team
On Sept. 26, 2025, when President Trump attended the Ryder Cup with his granddaughter, Kai, an NYPD detective pretended to be a part of Trump’s security detail to sneak into the event.
According to The New York Post, Det. Melvin Eng was out on sick leave, but he went to the Long Island, New York, golf course in full tactical gear, "with his gun, past Secret Service, past the state police."
Eng was suspended without pay, NYPD told Fox News.
Armed man enters secure Mar-a-Lago perimeter; police kill him
On Feb. 22, 2026, an armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago.
RELATED: Mar-a-Lago: Armed man shot, killed after breaching secure perimeter
The man, 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, had a gas can and a shotgun, authorities said. His family had recently reported him missing. Trump was at the White House when the incident occurred.
Investigators identify man fatally shot at Mar-A-Lago
An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed on the morning of Feb. 22, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service. He has been identified as a 21-year-old man from North Carolina.
Martin entered the north gate of the property as a vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy. Martin was on foot and was spotted by the Secret Service entering the gate as it opened for employees to leave.
Gunman at White House Correspondents’ Association dinner
On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Trump was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with First Lady Melania Trump and top officials in his administration when a gunman tried to storm the security area of the Washington Hilton.
RELATED: Live updates: Cole Allen, accused WHCA gunman, had manifesto targeting Trump, top officials
Authorities said Cole Tomas Allen, who traveled from California by train and was a guest at the hotel, was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives when he tried getting in before being tackled by the Secret Service. One Secret Service agent was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
President Donald Trump released an image showing the man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Via Truth Social)
Trump said Sunday that Allen had a written manifesto stating he wanted to target officials in the Trump administration.
"The guy is a sick guy," Trump said. "When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians. That's one thing for sure. He hates Christians, a hatred. So he was, he was a very troubled guy."
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said preliminary charges for Allen include two counts related to using a firearm and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but there will be many more charges filed "based on the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation."
The Source: This article includes information from The Associated Press, Fox News, The New York Post and previous FOX Local reporting.