The US Secret Service has warned that threats against President Donald Trump and other protected officials have reached unprecedented levels as it prepares to secure the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on Friday.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the agency is operating in the highest-threat environment of his 24-year career, with officials reporting a sharp rise in threat investigations, online extremism and mental health-related interventions.
"The threat picture and environment is as large as I've ever seen it," Curran said during a briefing, according to CBS News. Bloomberg also quoted him as saying, "They're off the charts."
Threat cases surge
According to a Secret Service official cited by Bloomberg, the agency has opened around 10,000 protective intelligence cases this year, a nearly 40 per cent increase from the same period last year.
Officials also said the Secret Service has conducted nearly 10 times more mental health-related interventions involving individuals making threats against protected persons or venues compared with the same point in 2025.
Curran said most threats now originate online and stem from a combination of lone actors, ideological grievances, foreign threats and mental health concerns, CBS News reported.
Security tightened after April shooting
The annual White House Correspondents' Dinner has been rescheduled after an armed attack disrupted the original event on April 25 at the Washington Hilton.
According to Bloomberg, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man, allegedly fired a shotgun from a floor above the ballroom before being taken into custody. The Justice Department has charged him with attempting to assassinate Trump.
The dinner has now been shifted to the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, formerly the Trump International Hotel.
Curran defended the security arrangements used during the April event, saying the suspect was stopped at screening checkpoints located around 120 yards from the podium.
"We do expect bad people to show up," he said, adding that every venue is reassessed before each presidential visit regardless of how many times it has previously been used.
Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said the agency was treating Friday's event as a new presidential visit rather than a repeat of the earlier gathering.
Iran, drones among top concerns
Officials said threats from Iran continue to factor into the agency's security planning.
"I don't think it's any secret that Iran has publicly said they want to kill President Trump," Quinn said, according to CBS News, adding that classified intelligence also informs protective operations.
The Secret Service also identified drones as one of its biggest emerging security challenges.
"The threat's real. It's a matter of time before it comes to the United States," Quinn said, pointing to developments seen in the war in Ukraine.
Officials said the agency has deployed advanced drone detection and mitigation systems around the White House and other protected locations, while acknowledging that drone technology continues to evolve rapidly.
New security measures
The Secret Service said it has strengthened coordination with federal, state and local agencies through unified command centres and has introduced an "advanced threat interdiction" capability aimed at identifying and intercepting potential attackers before they reach protected sites.
Curran also said officials are considering making enhanced security fencing around the White House permanent, adding, "If it were up to me, I would put 30-foot fences."
