WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service says it is operating in one of the most dangerous threat environments in recent memory as it adapts to an expanding range of risks facing President Donald Trump, including assassination threats, drones and online extremists.
In a rare public briefing on its protective operations, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the agency is confronting an unprecedented volume of threats against the president.
“We are at a heightened level of a threat environment right now,” Curran said, adding that the scope of threats is unlike anything he has seen in his 24-year career.
The agency’s comments come after multiple security incidents involving Trump over the past two years, including the attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, where a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s right ear and one rally attendee was killed.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn acknowledged the agency has since reevaluated how it protects former presidents seeking office.
“At that time, a former president wasn’t getting the resources that they potentially should have been getting,” Quinn said.
The Secret Service also pointed to an April incident in which an armed man carrying guns and knives breached a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner before being stopped by law enforcement.
The agency also highlighted the rapidly evolving threat posed by drones, which officials said have become inexpensive, sophisticated weapons seen on modern battlefields and present new security challenges for major public events and protected sites.
The comments came weeks after federal prosecutors charged eight men with terrorism-related offenses for allegedly plotting to attack a UFC event on the White House South Lawn using explosive drones.
Quinn said the Secret Service has deployed new counter-drone technology to protect the president and other dignitaries.
“The threat continues to get tougher and tougher. You’re talking fiberoptic-controlled drones now, dark drones, so it’s a constant challenge to keep up with it, but we’re doing a tremendous job to stay ahead of the threat,” he said.
Beyond physical security, officials said the Secret Service has expanded efforts to identify potential threats earlier by investigating threatening online posts and analyzing behavioral patterns among individuals who make threats against the president.
The agency said it is already implementing security plans for Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, with advance teams on site days before the event. Officials said every presidential appearance is planned using the highest level of protective security.
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