The Secret Service says it is looking into a troubling video from Iran that appears to threaten First Lady Melania Trump.
The footage, titled ‘How to Kill Melania Trump’, features images of Melania Trump in her motorcade and at multiple locations in New York City. It also identifies designer shops she is said to have visited.
Reports on the clip say it was shared by Tasnim, an Iranian outlet widely described as close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that the video appears to use artificial intelligence-generated elements while laying out possible attack scenarios. The video claims those outings could be
‘suitable for operations by global freedom fighters’
and suggests contaminating clothing bought by the first lady with a nerve agent.
It also delivers a threat directed at her son.
“This is just the beginning. Barron Trump, wait for us.”
Nate Herring, a lead public affairs specialist with the Secret Service’s Communications and Media Relations office, told the New York Post that the agency knows about the clip.
“The Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,”
Herring said.
“out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”
Melania Trump and Barron Trump both receive full-time Secret Service protection. Security also remains in place at Trump family properties including the White House, Trump Tower, the Bedminster golf club and Mar-a-Lago.
The Trump family has faced repeated threats since tensions with Iran escalated, and federal authorities have tracked Iranian threats against Trump and other officials for years. Earlier this month, Trump said he had given directions for a major military response if Iran were ever to carry out an assassination attempt.
Last week, according to reports, billboards carrying the phrase
‘Blood for blood’
appeared across Tehran, calling for the deaths of Trump and his children, Don Jr, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron.
Trump has previously said he is Iran’s primary target after the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, and U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that threats from Tehran remain a security concern.
“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,”
Trump told the New York Post.
He also said he had given directions for a major military response if Iran were ever to carry out an assassination attempt.
“if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”
Melania Trump has largely stayed out of the public eye this month and did not attend Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. A source told the Post she had a
‘scheduling conflict.’