Secret Service Reports Spike in Threats Against Presidency

Secret Service leadership shared concerns about a significant increase in threats against the presidency and its agents, during a joint interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday.

“It’s like we’ve never seen before,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran told Norah O’Donnell. “The threats on our full-time protectees are up just over 40% from last year. That’s a massive increase.”

Curran and Deputy Director Matt Quinn identified several factors for the surge, including the internet’s growth. Host O’Donnell questioned if President Donald Trump contributed to the rise in threats.

“President Trump is one of the most polarizing political figures in American history. Is that in some way leading to the increase in these threats?” O’Donnell asked.

Curran responded, “We are an apolitical organization. We’re here to protect who we’re sworn to protect.”

Quinn added that mental health issues play a significant role. “More people are being pushed over the edge,” he said.

The leaders did not specify which political side sourced more threats, noting concerns from both the January 6 Capitol riots and assassination attempts against Trump.

“The world is different than what it was 20 years ago. Social media changes people,” Currran said.

Curran shared experiences from protecting Trump during past assassination attempts and highlighted the importance of preparation.

O’Donnell connected these insights to Trump’s Air Force One plane switch in August. Speaking on the tactic, Curran commented, “Look, that’s not the first time we’ve done that… Certainly wasn’t the first time where we did something like that.”

Quinn defended the procedure that left agents on a decoy plane. “The priority is the president. Everyone else, staff, agents, media, personnel involved are not the priority,” Quinn stated.

Protection for Trump has faced extra scrutiny since the assassination attempts against him. Additionally, the FBI has hesitated to release documents related to an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Judicial Watch President Thomas Fitton, whose organization sued the Department of Justice for documents, criticized the slow release process. “They’re telling us that, at current processing rates, the process will take 12 years,” Fitton told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. Associate Editor Lindsay Kornick can be contacted at [email protected].