A new book by reporter Alex Isenstadt reveals that Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign was deeply concerned about assassination threats from Iran.
The book, titled Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power, details multiple security incidents, including an alarming encounter with a drone that followed Trump’s motorcade in Pennsylvania.
According to Isenstadt, an officer in the convoy used an electromagnetic weapon to disable the drone, highlighting the seriousness of the threats Trump faced during the election.
In an excerpt published by Axios, Isenstadt describes how U.S. authorities warned Trump’s campaign about Iranian operatives inside the country.
These operatives reportedly had access to surface-to-air missiles, raising fears that they could attempt to shoot down Trump’s private jet, commonly referred to as “Trump Force One.”
Security concerns escalated after a suspected assassination attempt at Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024.
Although Iran has not been officially linked to that specific incident or the more widely known assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier that year, Trump’s security team took the threats seriously.
The book claims that as a precaution, Trump once used a decoy plane owned by businessman Steve Witkoff to travel to an event, while most of his staff remained on Trump Force One.
Some campaign aides were unaware of the switch until moments before takeoff, leading to heightened concerns about their own safety.
In another security warning, the Secret Service reportedly alerted Trump’s team about intelligence indicating that someone might attempt to open fire on his motorcade following a rally in New York in September.
These persistent threats forced the campaign to take extreme precautions, making security a top priority throughout the election.
The revelations in Isenstadt’s book coincide with Trump’s recent statements about Iran following his return to office. Trump has remained a key target for the Iranian government since he authorized the airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader, in 2020.
According to the book, Trump told advisers that if he were ever assassinated, he had instructed his team to “obliterate” Iran in response. The extent of Iran’s involvement in the threats against Trump remains uncertain, but the book provides a detailed account of the fears within his campaign.
The claim that Iranian operatives were present in the United States and had access to advanced weaponry is particularly alarming. If true, it suggests a significant national security threat that extended beyond Trump’s campaign to the broader American public.
As Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power prepares for its release on March 18, these revelations are likely to spark further debate about foreign threats to U.S. political figures.
The book underscores the volatile security environment surrounding Trump’s campaign and raises important questions about how the U.S. government handles threats from hostile nations.
Whether or not Iran was directly behind any specific attack, the fact that such threats were taken seriously by law enforcement and the Secret Service speaks to the dangers Trump faced during the 2024 election.