Two years after Butler, threats against Trump keep assassination attempt in sharp focus

Two years after a gunman opened fire on Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the security failures that nearly cost him his life remain under scrutiny as later alleged plots and reported threats keep presidential protection in the spotlight.

Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents after gunfire grazed his upper right ear during his July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack came months before Trump’s re-election and preceded a series of later alleged attempts and reported threats against his life.

Two years ago Monday, Trump was mid-sentence, pointing to a chart on illegal immigration under the Biden administration, when gunshots pierced the air at his Butler rally. Authorities identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired from the roof of a nearby building.

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Secret Service agents tackled Trump to the ground. Moments later, as they rose to escort him to his motorcade, Trump emerged from the huddle. Trump raised his fist high in the air, and said “fight” three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant “U-S-A!” as he exited.

The gunman killed firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was shielding his family, and wounded two other men. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks during the attack.

A report from the Office of Inspector General, released earlier this month, found that the U.S. Secret Service “missed multiple opportunities” to prevent or disrupt the assassination attempt due to communication failures and other security lapses.

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“The Secret Service’s overall lack of policy and processes coupled with limited intelligence sharing and poor collaboration and communication with protectee staff and state and local law enforcement set the conditions that led to missing opportunities to prevent and detect the attempted assassination,” the report said.

It also found failure to warn Trump’s protective detail that Crooks had a rangefinder and a long gun and had climbed onto the roof of a nearby building.

Trump’s security has remained under scrutiny since he returned to office, amid later alleged assassination attempts and reported threats against his life. 

In September 2024, authorities said Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after a Secret Service agent spotted him with a rifle near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in what federal prosecutors later charged as an attempted assassination of Trump.

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In April of this year, there was an assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where a shooter attempted to break into the ballroom.

The renewed threats come amid escalating tensions with Iran, after the U.S. resumed strikes following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement. Reports this week said Israeli intelligence warned U.S. officials about a new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

Trump warned Iran Friday that the United States would “decimate and destroy” the country if Tehran carried out an assassination attempt against him.

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U.S. Secret Service has not directly commented on the reports.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.