President Donald Trump has stated he is "No. 1 on the kill list for Iran," repeatedly bringing up the assassination threat during his recent appearance at the NATO summit. The president's candid remarks about the danger come amid reports that Israel has shared intelligence with the United States suggesting Iran has developed a new plan to assassinate Trump.
During a press conference Wednesday, Trump told reporters, "I'm No. 1 on the kill list for Iran." He returned to the subject multiple times throughout the summit, noting the danger inherent in his position. "The life of a president is very dangerous," he said. "I don't really care, because I'm doing my job, and I'm doing it, I hope better than anybody's ever done it."
Trump surmised that Iran might be seeking revenge for the U.S. actions that led to the deaths of its leaders. "They had leaders, they're gone, and they had another set of leaders, they're gone," Trump said. "Now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows? And you know what, I may be gone too, because I'm their number one target."
Questions surrounding Trump's travel arrangements during his return from the NATO summit also arose. He switched from the newer, retrofitted Boeing 747, referred to as the "Bridge" aircraft, to one of the legacy VC-25A aircraft for the first leg of his journey home from Turkey to the United Kingdom. He then switched back to the newer jet for the flight from the U.K. to the U.S. White House officials have not confirmed whether the reported intelligence influenced this decision, stating only that the new Air Force One is secure and equipped with high-level security protocols.
A former Secret Service special agent noted that such a mid-trip aircraft switch is highly unusual. Trump explained that the newer aircraft was flown ahead to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the U.K. so U.S. troops could tour it. While this could be a simple explanation, the agent commented that such a switch typically would not happen without a specific intelligence-driven reason.
Following the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed revenge. U.S. officials have long warned that Tehran has sought to target current and former American officials involved in that operation. In 2024, the Justice Department charged an alleged Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asset with directing a plot to surveil and assassinate Trump, describing it as part of Iran's broader campaign of retaliation. Earlier that year, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran was also charged in a separate murder-for-hire scheme, though these domestic assassination attempts have not been publicly linked to Iran.
During a funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, Iran, mourners were seen carrying banners with slogans such as "Hey Trump, we will kill you." Experts suggest that such displays, while not directly linked to Iranian leadership, would likely require government permission. Tom Warrick, a former deputy assistant secretary of homeland security for counterterrorism policy, stated that it would be logical for Iran to attempt to retaliate against Trump after the U.S. actions against its leadership, noting that Iran often seeks to reciprocate actions taken against them.
The U.S. Air Force had prioritized certain modifications to bring the "Bridge" aircraft into service quickly, which meant some complex engineering modifications, including missile detection and countermeasure systems, were intentionally excluded. The Air Force maintained that the rapid conversion was completed without compromising security, safety, or secure communications. The Secret Service reportedly recommended Trump use the older plane as a security precaution amid rising hostilities with Iran, according to The New York Times.
The president's comments come as a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, brokered in June, has unraveled. The truce aimed to halt fighting for 60 days while broader negotiations took place. However, the agreement broke down after Iran attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to renewed U.S. military strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. Trump subsequently declared the ceasefire "over" and warned of further action if Iran continued its attacks.