Donald Trump’s security team took extreme precautions during the 2024 presidential campaign after learning that Iran had secret agents infiltrated in the United States, who had gained access to surface-to-air missiles.
Shortly after the second assassination attempt targeting Trump on September 15, 2024, in Florida, the Secret Service decided to use a decoy plane, an aircraft on board of which the Republican candidate was not present.
The security team feared that the Iranians might try to shoot down his easily recognizable private plane, known as Trump Force One, during takeoff or landing.
The revelations were made by several of Trump's advisors, writes journalist Alex Eisenstadt in his book, "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power", which will be released on March 18.
The Secret Service decided to form two special car convoys on the same day: one carrying Trump's vehicle and the other consisting only of his team members.
Previously, the service agents used an electromagnetic cannon to neutralize a drone tracking Trump's convoy, the author mentions.
Most of Trump's advisors flew to the next campaign event with Trump Force One, while the Republican candidate flew with a plane belonging to his friend Steve Witkoff, currently Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.
Many advisors only found out about the secret plan just before takeoff when they realized Trump's seat was empty. Some team members were furious because they feared they would become "cannon fodder" if the plane were attacked, Eisenstadt writes.
Campaign team leaders tried to assure them that they were not being used as bait, but Trump's aides wondered why they were boarded on the plane if it was known that Iranian agents had surface-to-air missiles.
New York Times and Washington Post reported in October 2024 that Trump's campaign team requested funds from the Defense budget to protect him from Iranian threats. They asked for military planes, bulletproof glass, and extended flight restrictions around Trump's residence and rallies.
The 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, ordered that Donald Trump receive the same security measures as an incumbent president for his protection during the electoral campaign.
Iran had previously threatened to retaliate against Donald Trump for ordering the killing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, General Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020, during his first term as president.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 8 that members of the Revolutionary Guard were preparing to assassinate Trump, but the FBI thwarted these plans.
FBI is investigating two attempts on Donald Trump's life. The first occurred on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Donald Trump was shot in the ear by a bullet fired from the roof of a building while giving a speech at a campaign rally.
The second attempt took place on September 15 in Palm Beach, Florida, near the golf club where Trump was, but he was unharmed.
As Alex Eisenstadt writes, Iran was not involved in these assassination attempts.
T.D.