U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Iran, saying the country would face devastating consequences if he were ever assassinated.
Trump made the remarks during an interview with NewNation host Katie Pavlich while responding to questions about alleged Iranian assassination threats. His comments came after Iranian state television aired footage from Trump’s July 13, 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania—where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt—alongside the caption, “this time it won’t miss.”
Responding to the situation, Trump said he had already issued a clear warning. “They shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve left notification,” he said, adding that if anything were to happen to him, Iran would face massive retaliation.
Trump also criticized former President Joe Biden, suggesting his administration failed to respond forcefully enough to threats against him and other former Trump officials. He argued that such threats should have been met with stronger public and diplomatic responses.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have remained high since January 2020, when a U.S. airstrike killed Qasem Soleimani, a top commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Since then, several former Trump administration officials, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton, have reportedly been under Iranian threats.
Trump further stated that protecting current and former leaders is a presidential responsibility, saying he would respond decisively to any credible threat. He emphasized that Iran had been warned in advance of the consequences.
The president’s comments come amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where protests have continued over economic hardship and political grievances. An Iranian official told Reuters that the death toll linked to the unrest had risen to at least 5,000, though the figures remain disputed.
Earlier this month, Trump said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and prepared to act if violence against civilians continued. However, he later told reporters that he had been informed the killings had slowed or stopped, adding that he would be “very upset” if that information proved false.
During a lengthy press conference marking one year of his second term, Trump was asked whether military action against Iran was still an option. He responded that U.S. warnings had already influenced Iran’s actions and that planned executions had reportedly been halted.
“We’re just going to have to see what happens with Iran,” Trump concluded.
