Secret Service warns ahead of White House Correspondents’ Dinner that threat level ‘exceeds expectations’
U.S. Secret Service warns of threat environment facing president Donald Trump The rescheduling comes just days after levels of other protected officers reached their highest levels in decades White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The agency said it has opened nearly 10,000 threat investigations this year alone.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s event washingtonAccording to CBS News, Washington Secret Service Director Sean Curran said that the agency has opened about 10,000 protective intelligence cases since January, an increase of nearly 40% from the same period in 2025.
“These are numbers that this agency and I have never seen in my 24-year career,” Curran said.
Why has the threat level increased?
Secret Service officials attribute the surge to a combination of cyber threats, lone actors, ideological grievances, foreign adversaries and individuals experiencing mental health crises.
“The environment has become very unstable, across the board,” Curran said. “The threat picture and environment is the largest I have ever seen.”
Officials say most threats now come online rather than through traditional methods like handwritten letters, CBS News reported. The agency has conducted nearly 10 times the number of mental health-related interventions this year compared to the same period last year.
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These interventions include voluntary and involuntary commitments and coordination with relatives and mental health providers to help stabilize individuals considered at risk.
Rather than relying on demographics when assessing potential threats, investigators evaluate behavior, looking for warning signs such as stalking, harassment, escalating resentment, obsessive-compulsive disorder, paranoia, delusions, suicide and an unusual interest in violence.
Safety takes center stage
The warning comes ahead of the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which will be held on Friday at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, after the original event in April was disrupted by an alleged assassination attempt outside the venue.
Curran defended the security measures used in the incident, pointing out that an armed man was stopped at a screening checkpoint before arriving at the reserve.
“We do expect bad guys to show up,” he said. “This is the reality we live in.”
He added that the security system worked as expected as the man was intercepted by the magnetometer before he could get close.
Also read: Months after potential assassination attempt foiled, Trump returns to Washington Hilton
Iran, drones remain major problem
Officials also consider Iran and drones to be one of the agency’s biggest security concerns.
Deputy Director Matt Quinn said Iran’s declared threat against Trump continues to impact Secret Service protection plans.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that Iran has stated publicly in the media that they want to kill President Trump,” Quinn said, adding that both public and classified intelligence was incorporated into the security operation.
Quinn also described drones as a growing risk. “The threat is real,” he said. “We’re focused on Ukraine. We’re just focused on basic intelligence. It’s just a matter of time before it comes to the United States.”
The Secret Service has expanded its use of drone detection and mitigation systems at the White House and other protected locations, and counter-drone assets now travel with the president, CBS News reports.
