Secret Service says protectee threats have jumped 40% this year

The Secret Service has opened more than 10,000 investigations into threats against people under its protection so far this year, agency officials said Wednesday, a 40% increase from the same stretch in 2025.

Director Sean Curran told reporters the political climate has grown more volatile than anything he has seen in 24 years with the agency. He described the threat volume as “off the charts.”

The warning comes as the agency prepares for Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, where President Donald Trump is expected to attend and speak. Trump has been the target of at least three assassination attempts, according to NBC News reporting cited in the briefing context.

New venue, tighter focus

The dinner is being staged at a different Washington hotel after violence disrupted the April event at the Washington Hilton. In that incident, officials said a gunman rushed a security checkpoint, fired at an officer and was stopped before reaching the ballroom, where Trump, the first lady, Cabinet officials and more than 2,600 journalists and guests were gathered.

Friday’s event will be smaller, with fewer guests and a more compact ballroom. Curran said an advance team is already assessing the site and building the security plan.

Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said the agency is treating the dinner as it would any other location where the president, Cabinet members and other protectees are present, rather than as a rerun of April’s event.

Curran also defended the earlier security layout at the Hilton, saying the gunman was kept nearly 120 yards from the podium, a distance he compared to more than a football field.

Drones add a fast-moving threat

Officials also pointed to drones as a growing security problem. Court documents in a foiled plot to attack June UFC fights at the White House included plans involving drones, officials said.

Curran said the Secret Service is using new detection methods near the White House and when the president travels. Some equipment now moving with Trump is being used on U.S. soil for the first time, he said.

Quinn said hostile drone technology is changing quickly, citing fiber-optic controlled drones and “dark drones” as part of what the agency is trying to counter.

The agency is also working more closely with U.S. intelligence services and drawing on international intelligence as it tracks threats to high-profile venues, officials said. Quinn said Iran has publicly stated it wants to kill Trump.

Curran declined to give specifics on security concerns involving a Qatari-donated 747 that Trump has used as Air Force One. Trump switched aircraft this month after leaving Turkey following the NATO summit and has said the plane will receive upgrades.

Public urged to flag warning signs

Officials said the public can help identify people who may become violent. Based on Secret Service research and protective intelligence work, officials said many suspects show warning signs, including obsessive interest in violence, stalking or harassment, as well as mental health issues such as paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, depression or suicidal thoughts.

Officials said research found 95% of suspects had shared their intentions with people around them before acting.

The Secret Service also said mental health interventions involving subjects known to the agency have increased tenfold. Those cases can include people whose behavior becomes more erratic and who may be committed for medical treatment.

Curran said a proposal to fence Lafayette Square near the White House remains under discussion. Asked about barriers, he said he would put up 30-foot fences everywhere if the decision were his.

This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.