Two people shot to death in clashes with Secret Service near the white houseA law enforcement official said, according to CNN. The incident occurred on Saturday, May 23, near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Northwest 17th Street.
According to law enforcement officials, officers from the Secret Service Uniform Division responded to reports of shots fired. CNN reporters heard dozens of gunshots near the White House. That prompted a lockdown and a quick response from the Secret Service.
President Donald Trump has been assassinated several times in the past. As current shootings raise concerns, we take a look at how many assassination attempts have been made against Trump.
How many times has Trump been assassinated?
Trump survives first assassination attempt he was shot At a rally in Pennsylvania in 2024. Video from the Butler rally on July 14, 2024, shows Trump ducking for cover and then being surrounded by Secret Service agents as gunfire erupts. As Trump walked off the stage, blood appeared on the side of his head. Soon, he was put into a car. According to law enforcement, the snipers were located in a building outside the security cordon and hundreds of yards away from Trump.
The shooter was later identified as thomas matthew crooks. He opened fire at a rally, wounding Trump and killing a former volunteer fire chief, Corey Competore. He also wounded two others before being shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.
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On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a second assassination attempt at his resort in West Palm Springs, Florida. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, allegedly carried an AK-47, a GoPro camera and other items at a golf course owned by Trump before possibly carrying out an assassination attempt on the former president, according to authorities. this agent Noticed him and fired at him, but missed him. Routh fled the scene in his vehicle and was later arrested at a traffic stop on Interstate 95.
Other security incidents
There have been other security incidents involving Trump, but no direct assassination attempts. In September 2025, New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer Melvin Eng appeared at the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black Course in New York, fully armed and equipped with full tactical gear. He reportedly pretended to be Trump’s security detail.
Authorities later discovered that Engel was on medical leave and was not assigned to the Trump detail or had an assigned role at the event. This resulted in Engel being suspended pending further investigation by the NYPD.
In February 2026, a man carrying a gas can and a shotgun was shot and killed by the Secret Service after crashing his vehicle into the secure perimeter of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump was in Washington at the time. The man was identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin from North Carolina. His motives are unclear.
On April 25, 2026, gunfire rang out near the main security inspection area for the annual security inspection. White House Correspondents’ Dinner Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC trump card The Washington Hilton Hotel and other government officials were evacuated after the shooting. suspect, Cole Thomas AllenThe 31-year-old faces two counts of using a firearm during a violent crime and one count of assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon after breaching security at the Washington Hilton.
What we know about the current alleged shooting outside the White House
According to the Secret Service, the agency is investigating reports of a shooting at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, just outside the White House complex. Members of the press corps on the North Lawn were rushed into the White House press briefing room and told to shelter in place. According to CNN, Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned that “shots are being fired.”
The outlet reported that Secret Service agents could be seen carrying rifles across the North Lawn and sealing off the White House press briefing room after the incident. However, the lockdown was lifted after 6:45 p.m. ET.
Trump was in the White House residence at the time. FBI Director Kash Patel say on X”, “The FBI is on scene and supporting the Secret Service response to the shooting near the White House – we will keep the public updated as possible.”
