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Was Trump targeted with another assassination plot? Everything to know as president uses small stairs to board Air Force One

After the assassination attempt on Trump was unsuccessful last year, the president's life might be under threat once again
posted by Akanksha Mishra
Monday 10/20/2025 at 4:44AM EDT
  • WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
    WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    On Sunday, October 19, President Donald Trump was spotted using a smaller set of stairs at the Palm Beach International Airport as he was boarding Air Force One. 

    The president's unusual choice of stairs is a new security measure which was adopted after a hunting stand with his boarding and departure area in clear line of sight was discovered last week.

    According to Fox News, the hunting stand was uncovered by the US Secret Service on Thursday, October 16, which prompted an investigation by the FBI. The agency's director, Kash Patel, told Fox News about it:

    "Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone."

    Patel then went on to reveal that no shooter had been linked to the hunting stand so far, saying:

    "No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities."

    The FBI and US Secret Service had joined forces to investigate what could potentially be a threat to Trump's life. But in the absence of any specific links to the hunting stand, the security measures around his flying details were increased. 

    ​Another assassination attempt on Trump made last year

    According to Economic Times, the discovery of the hunting stand at Florida airport comes more than a year after another assassination attempt was made at Trump, who was then a presidential candidate. 

    It happened on September 15, 2024, at the Palm Beach golf course - located minutes away from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, where a 59-year-old man named Ryan Routh set up another sniper's nest. 

    Disguised behind the bushes alongside the fence line near the golf course, Ryan had set up a rifle barrel in his sniper nest, which was spotted by a US Secret Service agent. 

    After Routh was discovered, he fled the scene but was later arrested nearby. As his verdict was read out in a court hearing, Ryan Routh even attempted to stab himself using a pen, but was unsuccessful after the US Marshals intervened.

    Following Routh's arrest, Trump posted on Truth Social to express his gratitude towards law enforcement, writing:

    "This was an evil man with an evil intention, and they caught him. A very big moment for JUSTICE IN AMERICA!"

    After Routh was found guilty on all charges pressed against him (despite pleading not guilty) earlier this year, his sentencing is scheduled to take place in two months, on December 18, 2025. 

    TOPICS: Donald Trump


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