Secret Service Warns of Sharp Rise in Threats Against the President

Secret Service Director Sean Curran and Deputy Director Matt Quinn gave their first joint interview on '60 Minutes' about the growing threats they face.

Secret Service leadership has revealed a "massive increase" in violent threats

Secret Service Director Sean Curran spoke to "60 Minutes" host Norah O'Donnell about the "massive" increase in threats against the president recently.

Secret Service leadership described the "massive increase" in threats against the president and agents in the past year during an exclusive joint interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran told host Norah O'Donnell: "It's like we've never met. Threats against our full-time security guards have increased by just over 40% compared to last year. This is a huge increase.

Curran, along with Deputy Director Matt Quinn, were asked about what has caused the increase in threats. Curran suggested the growth of the Internet was a factor, but O'Donnell wondered if President Donald Trump was also driving the threats.

Trump has become America's most targeted leader and faces threats every few months

President Trump is one of the most polarizing political figures in American history. Does this somehow lead to an increase in these threats? O'Donnell asked.

"We're a non-political organization. We're here to protect those we're sworn to," Curran replied.

"Look, I would say there are people on both sides of the aisle who either love or hate any president. I think the biggest factor that we're dealing with today is certainly mental health issues. And more and more people are being pushed in both directions," Quinn added.

"The world is different than it was 20 years ago. You know, social media changes people," Curran said.

The people also did not specify whether more threats had come from left-wing or right-wing sources, explaining that they were not making the threats "heavy" as such, citing concerns over the Jan. 6 congressional riots and assassination attempt against Trump.

The official says: "Decoy" of Air Force One was protected by American fighter jets

Curran, who was instrumental in protecting Trump in the first assassination attempt against him in 2024, emphasized the importance of preparation.

O'Donnell later linked the idea to reports of a modification of Trump's Air Force One in August.

"Look, this isn't the first time we've done this. We wish it hadn't been reported, because some of the tactics would have kept us from doing something similar again. It certainly wasn't the first time we've done something like this," Curran said.

Quinn also defended the way he left the agents behind in the decoy plane.

"When you deal with the president of the United States in any security detail, for any president, the priority is the president. All other people, staff, agents, media, personnel involved are not a priority, including our own personnel. As hard as it is for some to understand, the mission is to protect the president of the United States," Quinn said.

I served as Trump's NSA. SCOTUS must stop courts from jeopardizing the president's security

The interview comes as the Secret Service continues to face ongoing scrutiny after three officials were put on leave in August.

Support for the president is also under scrutiny as the FBI hesitates to release documents related to the investigation into an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Thomas Fitton, head of Judicial Watch, whose organization sued the Justice Department for documents related to the incident, criticized the slow process.

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