DONALD Trump is brushing off a string of assassination bids to throw a massive UFO 80th birthday bash at the White House.
A sprawling Secret Service ring of steel will shield the celebrations as the president hosts the world’s most high-profile figures on the South Lawn.
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Melania Trump, Donald Trump and CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang before their dinner was halted by an alleged assassination attempt Credit: AFP
Members of the National Guard and hawk-eyed Secret Service agents will watch over Trump’s 80th birthday bash Credit: EPA
The president has now survived four assassination attempts in a two-year period.
On Jattvibeday, he’s staging a mega MMA fight night – UFC Freedom 250 – to mark the unofficial start to a summer of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.
Trump says 4,500 people will be able to watch on the lawn itself – with up to 100,000 people able to watch free on screens just outside the White House grounds.
Despite all the glitz and glam, the Secret Service, FBI and Department of Homeland Security will be working overtime to protect the US president and the public, experts say.
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A giant fighting arena – dubbed the ‘Claw’ – has been built to host a UFC event on the South Lawn Credit: AP
Professor Javed Ali, formerly a senior official in the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, told The Jattvibe that agents will look at “a whole number of different scenarios”.
He said planning for events of this scale begin months in advance – with crack teams and local police repeatedly testing and honing contingency plans.
But all it takes is one person slipping through the cracks to wreak havoc, Ali warned.
He told The Jattvibe: “There are always going to be gaps, and there are always going to be unknowns.”
Dr Alan Mendoza, security expert and founder of think tank Henry Jackson Society, said any event with Trump at the centre would be viewed as a prime target by hostile actors.
He told The Jattvibe: “This event is a magnet for extremists who might wish to go down in history. I think we’ve seen that a number of people want to see the president attacked or killed.”
Given the world-class security afforded to presidents past and present, it is likely that Trump’s detail will be beefed up.
“I imagine it’s going to be like getting into Fort Knox,” Dr Mendoza said.
He claimed the security operation will likely be on a scale comparable to Olympic opening ceremonies and other major global events.
Large parts of Washington are likely to be locked down with snipers on rooftops, elite commandos, K9 units, counter-drone tech and surveillance cameras shrouding the president and his VIP guests in a ring of steel.
Prof Ali said the FBI will be preparing for every scenario – from politically motivated lone wolves to organised overseas plots.
And Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton warned that Iran remains a persistent threat.
Donald Trump has survived several high-profile assassination attempts in the last two years Credit: AP
Timeline of assassination attempts on Donald Trump’s life
July 13, 2024 – Thomas Crooks shot Donald Trump in the ear after hiding on a roof overlooking the former President’s outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after he fired eight shots at Trump and killed one rallygoer and injured two others.
The bullet came less than a quarter of an inch from striking Trump’s head, Ronny Jackson, the former president’s physician said.
September 15, 2024 – Ryan Routh was seen by a Secret Service agent hiding in the bushes with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida.
Trump was playing a round of golf when the alleged would-be assassin managed to get within 400 yards of Trump.
Routh fled the scene in an SUV but was caught by cops and arrested.
April 25, 2026 – Cole Thomas Allen allegedly attempted to storm the ballroom of the Washington Hilton and assassinate Trump and his senior associates.
Investigators later found a twisted manifesto that allegedly revealed Allen was motivated by a deep hatred of the president.
May 23, 2026 – Nasire Best – who reportedly had a long history of mental health issues – opened fire at a White House checkpoint before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
Officials confirmed that a bystander was shot in the crossfire, but said it wasn’t clear by whom.
He told The Jattvibe: “This continuing Iranian threat resulted from the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. There’s a list of [targets] – it starts with the president at the top.”
On September 25, 2024, US officials briefed Trump on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him”.
Bolton said threats have likely become even more dangerous as tensions between Washington and Tehran spiral.
He said: “We’re having a war with Iran – so the list [of targets] has grown longer, and that desire has grown more intense.”
Police vehicles by a stage for the UFC Freedom 250 event near the White House Credit: AP
A Secret Service officer responds to reports of gun fire near the White House in May Credit: Alamy
Dr Mendoza said hostile foreign actors would be looking at opportunities to target Trump during the celebrations.
“The Iranians will seize any opportunity the can,” Mendoza said.
The increase in readily-available drones has also raised issues for security.
Bolton said: “I’m sure that’s what they’re worried about. That’s why the Secret Service tries to draw the perimeter around the president as widely as they can.”
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) personnel will be assessing every possible threat Credit: Alamy
National Guard troops will also reinforce security in the capital Credit: AP
Dr Mendoza also warned that it’s not “far-fetched to assume that a drone attack might be possible”.
“We’ve seen capabilities improving quite dramatically in what drones can do and how they can be operated,” he said.
” It might [also] be something hidden elsewhere. Let’s not forget, 30 years ago the IRA manage to hide a mortar near Downing Street and bomb [it].”
But Dr Mendoza said these types of attacks are difficult to pull off owing to the Secret Service’s preparedness.
He said: “They are very well aware of what the dangers might be and how to neutralise them.”
Trump has faced significant risks out in the open in the last two years.
An open-air presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, was the closest a would-be assassin has come.
The perpetrator, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, fired eight rounds at Trump from an AR-15-style rifle, grazing him on the ear and fatally wounding 50-year-old attendee Corey Comperatore.
Thomas Crooks tried to shoot Trump at a presidential campaign rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on 13 July, 2024 Credit: AFP
Officers inspect Crooks body after Secret Service countersnipers shot him dead Credit: Unknown
Ryan Routh, 58, tried to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf club Credit: Reuters
The SKS rifle that was recovered from the course with a latent fingerprint matching Routh Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Crooks was promptly killed by Secret Service counter-snipers, while other agents shielded Trump on the ground.
Three months later, 58-year-old Ryan Routh lay in wait for 12 hours at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida, while the then-presidential candidate was playing a round.
A Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of a rifle sticking out of some bushes and shot at Routh, who fled before being detained within 45 minutes.
In April this year, a heavily-armed Cole Thomas Allen allegedly attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.
The 31-year-old teacher was detained outside the banquet hall after firing shots at officers stationed at the security checkpoint.
A manifesto later revealed Allen’s deep-seated hatred of Trump and his administration, as well as a disturbed psyche – with the suspected gunman referring to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin”.
The latest attempt came only weeks ago, when Nasire Best opened fire at a White House checkpoint before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
The 21-year-old had claimed to be Jesus Christ in a previous White House arrest.
Secret Service agents repelled another assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April Credit: AFP
Cole Thomas Allen allegedly stormed the Washington Hilton to try to assassinate Trump Credit: Reuters
Prof Ali said: “I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that, that kind of frequency in US history before.”
Dr Mendoza said Trump can’t go into hiding – but have to trust the world-class agencies surrounding him.
He said: “Everyone knows, unfortunately, that job comes with significant personal risk. But the answer is never to hide away.
“It is to ensure that security is handled properly, so that the president [is] not run by the agenda of those who would seek to stop America being America.”
Trump has boasted that the birthday event will be “the greatest show on earth”.
An enormous steel fight ring has been constructed for the star-studded celebration, adorned with the iconic stars and stripes of the United States flag.
Trump called the Octagon and its Claw “quite attractive to a lot of people”.
He suggested the temporary structure could become permanent – like the Eiffel Tower, which was originally built as part of the 1889 World’s Fair and never taken down.
A view of the White House amid preparations for the UFC Freedom 250 fight card Credit: Reuters
A bystander was struck as Secret Service agents gunned down Best Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
More than $60million has been spent building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service.
UFC boss Dana White said: “This is basically me spending a s***-load of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world.”
The South Lawns has seen some of the most memorable moments in US presidential history.
It’s where Marine One usually lands to take the president to out-of-town trips and kids play in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.
In 1974, Richard Nixon left via the South Lawn after his resignation in light of the Watergate scandal.
And Bill Clinton hosted the 1993 Oslo Accord handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.
