Feb. 22, 2026, 2:48 p.m. ET
An armed man was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents after breaching a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, marking the latest incident in a long list of security threats against the president in recent years.
Trump was in Washington over the weekend and not at the property at the time. State and federal authorities are continuing to investigate, and the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office identified the man who was fatally shot as Austin Tucker Martin.
The most serious threats against the president have been the multiple assassination attempts on his life, notably the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while Trump was on the campaign trail. But security risks have also included poisoned letters, violent social media posts and more.
Here’s what you need to know about previous incidents targeting Trump as violence against elected officials has spiked.
July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania
An assassination attempt against Trump on July 13, 2024 while he spoke at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, rocked the nation. The sniper, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on the rally from a nearby building, killing one spectator and injuring two others as well as injuring Trump’s ear.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents amid the chaos. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement at the time that Crooks fired multiple shots toward the stage while positioned on a rooftop more than 100 yards from the rally site.
Trump raised his fist to supporters with blood on his face before being escorted out of the area. In a campaign email sent out late in the night on July 13, 2024, he told Americans, “I will never surrender.”
September 2024 assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida
Trump saw a second potential assassination attempt later in 2024 while in Florida. The president was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15, 2024, when Secret Service officers spotted a rifle poking through the fenced perimeter of the course.
The agents fired at the suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, and chased after him. Routh did not fire his weapon and would later be stopped by Martin County Sheriff’s Office officials on Sept. 15 about 41 miles from the golf course.
Routh was later convicted of attempting to kill Trump and was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 4.
The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that there have been at least 11 security-related incidents at Trump’s Palm Beach estate or other South Florida Trump family properties since his first presidential election victory in 2016, including his residence, private club and golf courses.
Other incidents include poisoned letters, death threats
Trump has faced a slew of other security threats and breaches, including multiple incidents of letters laced with poison arriving at the White House. Letters and packages containing Ricin, a poison found in castor beans, have been sent to the president and other top U.S. officials in the past, including in 2018 and 2020.
Death threats against the president have also come by mail. A suspect awaiting trial on robbery and battery charges in Wisconsin allegedly sent a series of violent letters to state and federal officials last year.
In August, Nathalie Rose Jones of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested and charged in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she talked about killing Trump.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, Jones’s Instagram and Facebook accounts also included aggressive comments toward the president.
Trump has not yet publicly commented on the Feb. 22 shooting at Mar-a-Lago.
Contributing: Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post; Kinsey Crowley, Hannah Phillips, and Hana Khalyleh, USA TODAY NETWORK
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.
