President Trump on Wednesday mused openly about being assassinated, saying he is the most-wanted man in Iran and occupies an inherently dangerous job.
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“It’s a very dangerous profession,” Mr. Trump said at a NATO summit press conference in Ankara, Turkey. “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran.”
Mr. Trump fueled questions about his safety by opting to take a different plane home to the U.S. than the brand-new Air Force One donated by Qatar.
The president rejected the idea that it had to do with security, saying the plane would fly to the United Kingdom and parts of Europe to show it off to soldiers.
“So the soldiers can see it. It’s truly magnificent,” Mr. Trump said, without elaborating.
The president also mused about possibly being killed earlier in the day.
“They want to take out the U.S. leader — me,” Mr. Trump said of Iranian leaders. “I’m on every single one of their lists. I guess so far I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long, because that’s the way it goes.”
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Mr. Trump said he was willing to talk about such a morbid thing because it is part of the job.
“I speak about it a lot because you know the life of a president is very dangerous,” the president said.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly faced danger during his political life.
A gunman tried to assassinate him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 presidential campaign, and an armed man was arrested in shrubbery near Mr. Trump’s Florida golf course in December 2024 and accused of trying to assassinate the president.
Last spring, a gunman charged the White House Correspondents Association dinner in Washington but was stopped before he could enter the ballroom where the president and hundreds of guests were gathered.
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