Donald Trump in his recent appearance on the Flagrant podcast claimed that that foreign entities may have been involved in attempts to assassinate him. Trump, who survived two assassination attempts in 2024, suggested that both incidents were linked to outside forces and hinted at the involvement of Iran.
During the interview, Trump recalled the first attempt on his life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.A shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire with an AR-15, hitting Trump in the ear. “I have great respect for the Secret Service and the guys that were with me,” Trump said. “Those bullets were winging over my head. If I’d been up for another couple of seconds, I wouldn’t be here.”
Trump went on to describe the chilling details of the second assassination attempt that occurred two months later at his golf club in West Palm Beach. A gunman, Ryan Wesley Routh, was caught hiding in the bushes with a rifle aimed at a Secret Service agent. Trump hinted at a possible conspiracy behind both incidents, saying, “They haven’t opened the shooters’ phones – and they had several. Why wouldn’t you open them? When you hear about foreign connections, like Iran, it makes you wonder.”
“I was rough with Iran, but I want to see Iran do great. I want to see Iran do great. But I want to stop all the killing and all this. And I was rough on Iran, and they supposedly have a hit on me,” the former president said.
In his comments, Trump pointed directly to Iran as a potential player in the attempts on his life. “I was tough on Iran, and they supposedly have a hit on me. It could involve other countries too,” he said. The former president speculated about the significance of the shooters’ encrypted phones, which remain unopened by the FBI. “They had three or six phones, with foreign-based apps. Why haven’t they opened them yet?” he questioned.
The former president also criticised the FBI for their failure to investigate thoroughly. “When it comes to an assassination attempt on a former president, I think the rules have to go out the window,” he said. Trump’s remarks appeared to challenge both law enforcement and technology companies, particularly Apple, for not cooperating in unlocking the devices used by the attackers.
Trump used the interview to raise concerns about national security and the role of foreign governments in orchestrating violence against political figures. He also suggested that the issue goes beyond him personally, noting that divisions within the US and the involvement of outside forces are putting the country in a dangerous position. “We’ve got two countries right now, and it’s a shame. But I think success will bring us back together,” he said.
