US President Donald Trump on Friday recognized the personal costs of serving in office as he welcomed a huge Supreme Court victory that gives his administration greater authority to pursue its policy agenda.
During a sudden press conference at the White House, Trump spoke about the perils of the presidency when questioned regarding recent threats to his life, including the July 2024 Pennsylvania campaign rally when he was grazed on the ear by a bullet.
“I get that throbbing feeling every once in a while,” Trump said. “But that’s okay. This is a dangerous business.”
Trump likened the presidency to dangerous professions such as bull riding and race car driving and stated, “When you’re president, it’s about 5%. If somebody would have told me that, maybe I wouldn’t have run.”
Four US presidents have been assassinated while in office, and some others have survived plots. Trump himself has had several threats, including a September 2024 failed assassination attempt at the Florida rally. The defendant in that incident is charged under federal law and has pleaded not guilty.
The July attacker was killed by Secret Service agents, and the shooting also killed one person attending the rally and left two others wounded.
Trump has also been the subject of global plots. The US government has in the past accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of plotting to kill him, which Iran denies.
Friday’s remarks were made as Trump celebrated a legal win from the Supreme Court, which restricted the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, thus bolstering executive power.
