President Joe Biden has issued a stern warning to Iran, stating that any assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump would be considered an act of war by the United States.
This declaration comes in response to growing concerns over threats from Iran, which has reportedly targeted more than half a dozen former Trump aides for their roles in the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Trump himself has been the subject of two recent assassination attempts.
According to reports from Fox News, Biden has instructed his National Security Council to make it clear to Iran that an attempt on Trump’s life would prompt a military response. As threats continue to escalate, Trump has sought enhanced protection, including requesting military-grade security measures.
The Trump campaign recently requested military aircraft capable of shooting down missiles to tote the former president around in the weeks before the election.
The U.S. has gone to unprecedented lengths to protect the former president from retaliation from Iran for the 2020 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Some $150 million a year has gone to protecting officials like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, former head of U.S. Central Command, according to Politico.
Both Trump and his high-level officials who ordered the strike in 2020 have faced death threats from Iran, which also recently hacked Trump’s campaign and tried to peddle information to Democrats and the media.
The U.S. government has taken significant steps to protect former Trump aides who are also under threat due to their involvement in the Soleimani operation. Among these measures, the Trump team has reportedly requested access to military aircraft capable of intercepting missile attacks.
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savitt addressed the heightened risks, stating, “We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these brazen threats.”
Savitt further emphasized that agencies are continuously updating the former president’s security detail with new threat information, and President Biden has made it clear that the Secret Service should be equipped with all necessary resources to counter potential dangers.
In addition to a military plane, the Trump campaign has asked for armored vehicles typically reserved for sitting presidents, more flight restrictions over his rallies and residences, reimbursements for decoy aircraft and more money for Secret Service and local law enforcement to protect him.
Biden told reporters on Friday he would be happy to offer Trump military aircraft in the final stages of his campaign, “as long as he doesn’t ask for F-15s.”
“Look, what I’ve told the department is to give him every single thing he needs for his – as if he were a sitting president,” he said. “Give him all that he needs. If it fits within that category, that’s fine.”
Despite Biden’s recent warning, when asked last month about the issue, he refrained from commenting on whether an assassination attempt would definitively be seen as an act of war.
However, the ongoing threats have placed the Trump camp and aides involved in the Soleimani strike under immense scrutiny and danger. Over the summer, Iran hacked the Trump campaign and attempted to leak the information to the Biden-Harris team.
In July, Trump narrowly survived an assassination attempt when a shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, took a sniper’s position on a nearby building and fired at the former president, grazing his ear.
A second attempt took place while Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, where another would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, was found waiting with an AK-47-style weapon. Both incidents underscore the growing threats faced by Trump and those connected to his administration.