2 years after Butler shooting, Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts

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(TNND) — Two years after a gunman opened fire on Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, presidential security remains under intense scrutiny as the president continues to face assassination threats.

While campaigning for president on July 13, 2024, Trump was rushed offstage after a gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired from a nearby building, grazing Trump's right ear.

Photos and videos captured the chaotic moments as Secret Service agents tackled Trump to the ground. When he stood moments later with blood visible on his face and his fist raised in the air, he shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" before supporters erupted into chants of "U-S-A!"

Firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed while shielding his family from the gunfire before a Secret Service sniper fatally shot Crooks. Two other rallygoers, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were seriously wounded and announced last month that they are suing the United States, alleging negligence by the Secret Service led to their "life-altering physical and emotional injuries."

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The Butler shooting prompted multiple congressional, departmental and independent reviews that identified a series of avoidable security failures that investigators said contributed to the attack. 

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The Butler shooting was not the last threat Trump would face.

Just two months later, authorities arrested Ryan Wesley Routh after a Secret Service agent spotted him with a rifle concealed near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the then-Republican nominee was golfing.

Routh was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 4, 2026, after being convicted on five counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Routh spent hours concealed in dense vegetation using camouflage gear and other supplies while waiting for Trump to arrive, arguing the plan was carefully orchestrated and resembled a military-style sniper operation.

Trump faced another alleged assassination attempt in April when authorities say Cole Thomas Allen, a teacher from Torrance, California, armed himself with multiple weapons, attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton and fired a shotgun that struck a Secret Service agent's protective vest.

Allen has been charged with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He has pleaded not guilty, and court proceedings are expected to continue in the coming months.

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Beyond the domestic threats, U.S. officials have also continued to monitor foreign assassination plots. Most recently, Israel warned the United States that Iran had developed a new plan targeting Trump as tensions escalated following the U.S. military campaign against Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The repeated attempts and alleged plots against Trump have renewed questions about the Secret Service's ability to protect the president during a period of heightened political tensions and evolving security threats.

Marking the second anniversary of the Butler attack on Monday, the White House shared a painting depicting Trump with his fist raised moments after the shooting.

"'Fight. Fight. Fight.' Two years ago today, in Butler, PA, an assassin opened fire on President Donald J. Trump," the White House wrote on X. "By the grace of God, his life was spared. As he rose to his feet — blood on his face, fist raised high — that moment became an enduring symbol of resilience, courage, and unbreakable determination for an entire nation."

  

THE WHITE HOUSE