Trump says Iran has already made attempts on his life that ‘didn’t work out,’ he’s surrounded by ‘more guns’ than he’s ever seen
Former President Donald Trump revealed early Wednesday that Iran is behind ongoing plots to assassinate him — unprecedented activity by a US adversary.
“Big threats on my life by Iran. The entire U.S. [sic] Military is watching and waiting,” Trump, 78, wrote on Truth Social — just hours after Ryan Wesley Routh was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump on his South Florida golf course earlier this month.
“Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone,” the Republican nominee for president continued.
“I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before. Thank you to Congress for unanimously approving far more money to Secret Service – Zero ‘NO’ Votes, strictly bipartisan.
“Nice to see Republicans and Democrats get together on something. An attack on a former President is a Death Wish for the attacker!”
While Trump did not detail the attempts on his life, his campaign said in a separate statement that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) had briefed the 45th president on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.”
“Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference,” spokesman Steven Cheung said.
The revelation by the Trump campaign came the same day the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report detailing how security around Trump was increased ahead of the first of two assassination attempts this summer.
On July 12, Pakistani national Asif Merchant was arrested and charged with paying $5,000 advances to men he believed to be contract killers, likely to target Trump or other US politicians on behalf of Tehran.
Discovery of the plot led the Secret Service to bolster Trump’s security detail ahead of the July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., where the former president was targeted by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, sources told The Post last month.
The Butler rally, Senate investigators found, “was the first time a [Secret Service] counter sniper team was assigned to a protectee other than the President, Vice President, or a presidential candidate who had been formally nominated by his or her party.”
The report added that the “counter snipers – including the one who shot and killed Crooks – were sent to the rally in response to ‘credible intelligence’ of a threat.”
Trump was wounded in the right ear by Crooks, who fired eight shots that also killed audience member Corey Comperatore and wounded two other rally-goers.
Two months and two days later, a Secret Service agent on advance patrol allegedly spotted Routh’s gun poking through bushes off the 6th hole at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach while the former commander-in-chief was playing the preceding hole.
Routh, 58, fled the scene after the agent opened fire, but was apprehended a few hours later. He now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Iran has had Trump and members of his former administration – including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and ex-national security adviser John Bolton – on its target list since the ex-president ordered the unprecedented assassination of top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2020.
Earlier this month, the FBI said that hackers linked to the theocratic government had stolen Trump campaign information and offered it to the campaign of President Biden.
Trump has repeatedly said that he believes he was targeted by assassination plots because he was a “consequential” president, and his campaign alleged that Tehran has him in his crosshairs for similar reasons.
“Make no mistake, the terror regime in Iran loves the weakness of Kamala Harris, and is terrified of the strength and resolve of President Trump,” Cheung said. “He will let nothing stop him or get in his way to fight for the American people and to Make America Great Again.”
