Donald Trump has offered his own explanation for why he believes he has faced multiple assassination attempts, coming just days after a man was shot dead following a break-in at his Mar-a-Lago property.
Authorities said an armed suspect breached the security perimeter around Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, over the weekend.
The individual was later identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin. The Secret Service said Martin was killed after he allegedly pointed a firearm at agents when they confronted him.
Trump was not at the Florida resort at the time of the incident.
Although the situation raised serious security concerns, it also followed a pattern of previous threats involving armed individuals in close proximity to the president.
One of the most widely reported incidents occurred in July 2024 during Trump’s campaign to return to the White House, when a shot grazed his ear. He avoided serious injury.
Another alleged attempt followed in September 2024, involving Ryan Routh, who was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
Addressing the repeated threats, Trump said he believes he is targeted because he is “consequential.”
Speaking at the White House yesterday (February 23) during an event with families of people impacted by crimes committed by immigrants living in the US illegally, Trump said: “You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don’t go after non-consequential presidents, you know?
“If you take a look—Abraham Lincoln, some big, some big one. John Kennedy, in a certain way, was very consequential. He represented something very important.”
He continued: “I was told that—I saw that the other day—they say they only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential.”
Trump then directed remarks to Border Czar Tom Homan, adding: “Can we hold it back a little bit, please, Tom? Can we just, like, nice and easy. Let’s be a normal president for a little while.”
Separately, the same event included a proclamation recognizing February 22 as National Angel Family Day.
In a statement announcing the designation, he said: “I call on the American people to assemble in their respective places of worship to pay homage to the victims killed by illegal aliens and to those taken by the fentanyl epidemic, and lift up the Angel Families and families devastated by drug overdoses.
“I further call upon public officials, community leaders, and all citizens to end the violence and lawlessness that have claimed so many innocent lives.”