U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran testifies during a House Appropriations and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing Thursday, April 16, 2026, in the Rayburn Building.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
A senior official with the U.S. Secret Intelligence Service said Wednesday that the “threat environment” for the agency’s protected personnel, including President Donald Trump, is “the highest we have ever seen.”
“What we’re seeing now is something we’ve never seen before,” the official told reporters at a background briefing on the condition that his name not be disclosed before the public briefing.
According to a comprehensive report from the MS NOW press conference, officials said that there have been approximately 10,000 incidents of intimidation against government officials, including Supreme Court judges, so far in 2026. This means that such cases have increased by 40% compared to the same period last year.
A week after Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a House subcommittee that the level of threat against her and other federal judges is “very high,” the official said “the volume and complexity of cases is increasing.”
The Secret Service has seen a 10-fold jump in complaints related to the mental health of people suspected of making threats against detainees, the official said.
The press conference preceded the White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner, scheduled for Friday at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington. Mr. Trump is scheduled to attend the event.
The WHCA’s originally scheduled dinner was abruptly canceled in April when a man with multiple weapons attempted to pass through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel while President Trump was attending the dinner.
The man, Cole Thomas Allen of California, was tackled by Secret Service agents before entering a banquet hall where Trump and other government officials were present. Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump.
Asked by a reporter during the public portion of the briefing how concerned the agency was about the threat of drones being used to attack protected persons, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said: “Very much.”
“Look, the threat is real,” Quinn said. “Look at Ukraine… it’s only a matter of time before it comes to the United States.”
But Quinn also said the White House is “very safe from attack.”
“The technology we have in place, not just in the White House, but in all of our shelters, is now cutting edge,” he said.
“The threats continue to get more severe,” Quinn said. “Now we’re talking about fiber-optic-controlled drones, dark drones. So we need constant tracking to keep up with that. But we’re doing a tremendous job, especially in the White House, to stay ahead of the threat.”
On Tuesday, President Trump was asked by reporters at the White House if he felt safe, given the number of threats he has had on his life.
The president responded, “I feel relieved.” “Why can’t I feel safe?”
On July 13, 2024, Trump narrowly escaped death when gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire on him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Audience member Corey Comperatore was killed in the attack and two others were seriously injured.
Two months later, Secret Service agents shot another gunman hiding in the brush surrounding the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The gunman, Ryan Routh, was convicted in Florida federal court last September on charges including the attempted assassination of Trump.
Routh is serving a life sentence.
